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Orchitis

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Abstract

Testicular inflammation may occur with acute symptoms or evolve as chronic asymptomatic disease. Among the acute forms, epididymo-orchitis due to local ascending bacterial infection is the most common, whereas isolated orchitis associated with systemic viral infection is considered to be rare. Complications include obstruction of the seminal ducts, post-infectious inflammatory reactions, testicular atrophy, and infertility. In addition, sterile orchitis can occur in systemic autoimmune diseases. Immune cell infiltrates frequently found in testicular biopsies of infertile males may be defined as low-grade, chronic asymptomatic testicular inflammation. The pathogenesis includes post-infectious or primarily pathogen-independent autoimmune responses. While treatment guidelines have been established for acute bacterial epididymo-orchits, treatment of post-infectious or sterile chronic testicular inflammatory reactions is predominantly empirical. In cases of persistent azoospermia, surgical sperm retrieval procedures are the only option.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Section of Conservative Andrology, Department of Urology, Pediatric Urology and Andrology, University Hospital Giessen and Marburg GmbH, Justus Liebig University Giessen, Giessen, Germany

    Hans-Christian Schuppe

  2. Department of Urology, Pediatric Urology and Andrology, University Hospital Giessen and Marburg GmbH, Justus Liebig University Giessen, Giessen, Germany

    Adrian Pilatz

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  1. Hans-Christian Schuppe
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  2. Adrian Pilatz
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Correspondence to Hans-Christian Schuppe .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Center for Reproductive Medicine and Andrology, University Hospital Münster, Münster, Germany

    Eberhard Nieschlag

  2. Center for Reproductive Medicine and Andrology, University Hospital Halle (Saale), Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Halle (Saale), Germany

    Hermann M. Behre

  3. Center for Reproductive Medicine and Andrology, University Hospital Münster, Münster, Germany

    Sabine Kliesch

  4. Center for Reproductive Medicine and Andrology, University Hospital Münster, Münster, Germany

    Susan Nieschlag

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Schuppe, HC., Pilatz, A. (2023). Orchitis. In: Nieschlag, E., Behre, H.M., Kliesch, S., Nieschlag, S. (eds) Andrology. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-31574-9_19

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-31574-9_19

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