Testicular torsion diagnosis and injury assessment using photoacoustic oxygenation imaging

Testicular torsion (TT) is a medical emergency that requires immediate diagnostic evaluation. Photoacoustic imaging (PAI) has the potential to provide spatially resolved oxygen saturation (sO(2)), which can serve as a valuable marker in TT diagnosis. We investigated the potential of PAI as an alternative method for TT diagnosis and testicular injury assessment. We measured sO(2) levels in different degrees of TT models using PAI at various time points. Based on histopathological results, we found that the averaged sO(2) per pixel ([Formula: see text]) and reduction of [Formula: see text] (rsO(2)) in twisted testicles had significant correlations with hypoxic conditions. Both [Formula: see text] and rsO(2) exhibited excellent diagnostic abilities in detecting TT and identifying ischemia/hypoxia injury following TT. Furthermore, PAI-measured sO(2) demonstrated favorable diagnostic capabilities in discriminating if the testicle had suffered irreversible injury. In summary, PAI presents a potentially promising novel approach in evaluating TT and warrants further clinical investigation.