Role of color Doppler ultrasound in the diagnosis of nonpalpable testes

Abstract

Purpose Color Doppler ultrasound has been used for the diagnosis of torsion of testes. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the sensitivity of this noninvasive tool in detecting impalpable testes.
Patients and methods Twenty-five children with nonpalpable testes were treated at the Department of Pediatric Surgery, Institute of Medical Science, Banaras, between 2007 and 2009. Color Doppler ultrasound was used for detecting the position, size, and vascularity of nonpalpable testes. These patients were subsequently revaluated by laparoscopy.
Results Out of 25 cases, 15 cases were unilateral and 10 cases were bilateral (a total of 35 nonpalpable testes). The color Doppler ultrasound study successfully localized 30 of the 35 nonpalpable testes, which were confirmed by subsequent laparoscopic examination. The sensitivity of color Doppler in locating testes was 85.71% (95% confidence interval = 0.64–0.97).
Conclusion Color Doppler ultrasound is an effective noninvasive method for the initial diagnosis of impalpable testes and for planning its subsequent management.

Keywords: color Doppler ultrasound, laparoscopy, nonpalpable testes