Evidence Hub

Phosphodiesterase inhibitors and testicular torsion: A systematic review and meta‐analysis of animal studies

Alessandro Vidal de Oliveira, Ana Luiza Nepomuceno Sampaio, Rui W. Mascarenhas Junior, Régis B Andriolo

Andrology, 2024

4 citations

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Testicular torsion is a common urological emergency in children and teenagers that, in most cases, requires surgical exploration and detorsion. However, even after a successful intervention, a high number of patients still develop irreversible damage. OBJECTIVES: To investigate whether the administration of phosphodiesterase inhibitors (PDE) in animal models of testicular torsion can reduce damages caused by the ischemia-reperfusion syndrome. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A systematic search of the Medline, Web of Science, Embase, and Ovid databases for studies up to December 2023 was performed using PRISMA guidelines. A detailed search was conducted using the following key terms: "testicles," "ischemia," "reperfusion," and "phosphodiesterase inhibitors." There was no restriction regarding language or year of publication. We investigated spermatogenesis by the Johnsen's biopsy score (JTBS) and histological damage by the Cosentino's biopsy score (CBS). Malondialdehyde (MDA), nitric oxide (NO), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) testicular levels were also analyzed. RESULTS: Initially, 296 articles were identified. However, only 20 studies met the inclusion criteria. PDE inhibitors improved JTBS (MD = 2.53, CI = 1.94 to 3.13), CBS (MD = -1.11, CI = -1.25 to -0.97) and SOD (SMD = 3.27, CI = 1.59 to 4.95) outcomes. PDE did not improve MDA (SMD = -0.93, CI = -2.19 to 0.34), NO (SMD = -0.54, CI = -1.56 to 0.48), and GPx (SMD = 0.77, CI = -0.38 to…

How strong is the evidence?

Evidence Hub reads this as a systematic review, done in people. Its evidence level is 1 of 5 (Highest · pooled evidence). Pooled evidence from several studies sits at the top of the evidence pyramid.

How the five levels of evidence work. The level is assigned automatically from the abstract and can be wrong, so check the paper.

Read the paper

Related studies

Go deeper in Evidence Hub

Evidence Hub adds a study data sheet (design, sample size, evidence level, key numbers), an AI summary and a chat grounded in the paper's text.

Open this study Sign up free