Epididymo-orchitis risk factors in traumatic spinal cord injured patients

• Published in: Spinal cord Vol. 41; no. 9; pp. 516 - 520
• Main Authors: MIRSADRAEE, S, MAHDAVI, R, MOGHADAM, H. V, EBRAHIMI, M. A, PATEL, H. R. H
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London Nature Publishing 01.09.2003; Nature Publishing Group
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; Biological and medical sciences; Ejaculation - physiology; Epididymitis - epidemiology; Epididymitis - etiology; Humans; Incidence; Injuries of the nervous system and the skull. Diseases due to physical agents; Interviews as Topic - methods; Iran; Male; Medical sciences; Middle Aged; Orchitis - epidemiology; Orchitis - etiology; Retrospective Studies; Risk Factors; Spinal Cord Injuries - complications; Spinal Cord Injuries - physiopathology; Surveys and Questionnaires; Time Factors; Traumas. Diseases due to physical agents; Urinary Bladder - physiology; Urodynamics - physiology; Iran; Human; Nervous system diseases; Spinal cord; Orchitis; spinal injuries; Epididymitis; Trauma; Central nervous system disease; Risk factor; epididymo-orchitis; spinal cord injuries; Male genital diseases; Spinal cord disease; Testicular diseases; Epididymal diseases
• ISSN: 1362-4393; 1476-5624
• DOI: 10.1038/sj.sc.3101491

Retrospective audit and interview-based study of a traumatic spinal cord injured cohort, assessing the incidence and risk of epididymo-orchitis (E-O). Assess the potential risk factors for E-O in this cohort (spinal cord injured patients). Janbazan Clinic for Spinal Cord Injuries, Mashad, Iran. A retrospective notes audit of 169 male traumatic spinal cord injured (SCI) patients was performed. In addition, interviews were performed to confirm any equivocal data. The following risk factors were assessed: history of recurrent urinary tract infections (UTIs), urethral stricture, urethral diverticuli, urinary fistula, urinary calculi, spinal injury type, neurogenic bladder type, autonomic dysreflexia, vesico-ureteral reflux, sphincterotomy, vasectomy, marriage status, bladder residual and emptying method, ejaculation, spinal injury level, micturation control, and muscular spasm, which included detrusor, external sphincter or lower limb spasm. A total of 65 patients from our group (38.5%) had suffered E-O at least once. E-O presented on average, 3.9 years after the SCI. Patients with a history of muscular spasm appeared less likely to develop E-O (P<0.05). None of the vasectomised patients developed E-O. The relation between all the other factors and E-O were not significant. Our study has shown that the presence of muscular spasm decreases the risk of E-O, although the mechanism remains unclear. Surprisingly, the other historical risk factors showed no clear relation with E-O occurrence.