Sex-based Disparities in the Management of Pediatric Gonadal Torsion

Abstract

IntroductionIn 2015, the U.S. News and World Report (USNWR) implemented a quality metric to expedite surgery for testicular torsion (TT), but not ovarian torsion (OT). This study examined OR timing among children with suspected TT and OT before and after this metric. MethodsA single-center retrospective cohort study of children (1–18yr) who underwent surgery for suspected gonadal torsion was performed. Time to OR (TTOR) from hospital presentation to surgery start was calculated. An interrupted time series analysis identified changes in TTOR for suspected TT versus OT after the 2015 USNWR quality metric. ResultsOverall, 216 patients presented with TT and 120 with OT. Median TTOR for TT was 147 min (IQR:99–198) versus 462 min (IQR:308–606) for OT. Post-quality metric, children with TT experienced a 27.8 min decrease (95% CI:-51.7,-3.9, p = 0.05) in annual median TTOR. No significant decrease was observed for children with OT (p = 0.22). Children with history of a known ovarian mass (N = 62) experienced a shorter TTOR compared to those without (422 vs 499min; p = 0.04). ConclusionImplementation of a national quality metric for TT expedited surgical care for children with TT, but not children with OT. These findings highlight the need for equitable quality metrics for children presenting with suspected gonadal torsion. Level of EvidenceIII. Type of StudyRetrospective Comparative Study, Observational Cohort Study.