Unilateral spontaneous rupture of a testicular implant thirteen years after bilateral insertion: a case report

INTRODUCTION: We describe a case of spontaneous, non traumatic rupture of a single artificial testis in a patient who had undergone bilateral, staged radical orchidectomy followed by prosthesis insertion. The consequences and radiological appearances of implant rupture are discussed. We believe it is the longest time interval recorded between prosthesis insertion and rupture. CASE PRESENTATION: A 50 year old Caucasian man presented to our outpatient department with an altered consistency in his right testicular prosthesis without any systemic symptoms or local inflammation. His left testicular prosthesis had retained its consistency since insertion. CONCLUSION: The majority of cases reported to date have required exploration due to symptoms but we describe a case that was managed conservatively.