Ovarian cyst torsion coexisting with acute pyelonephritis in an eight-year-old premenarchal girl

Abstract

We report the case of a premenarchal eight-year-old girl with an adnexal torsion accompanied by acute pyelonephritis with vague, non-specific symptoms. In young girls, symptoms may be vague, with patients complaining of non-specific gastro-intestinal problems. Combination with other complications such as pyelonephritis makes the diagnosis of adnexal torsion even more difficult as in the present case. To preserve future reproductive function, early surgical intervention is required. Although the impact on menarchal development of oophorectomy or partial removal of ovarian tissue before menarche remains to be evaluated, timely recognition and treatment of adnexal torsion clearly increases the possibility of retaining the ovary. Therefore, to decrease the time between the onset of symptoms and the identification of patients at risk, sonography should be considered as a first imaging modality for evaluating children with any degree of abdominal pain accompanied by non-specific symptoms.