Ovotesticular Disorder of Sex Development Presenting as a Scrotal Emergency

Abstract

Ovotesticular (OT) disorder of sex development (DSD) is a rare condition that affects the development of reproductive organs and manifests in a wide range of phenotypic presentations. The clinical diagnosis of this condition is challenging because of its atypical nature, and the variability of presentation in 46,XX OT-DSD cases makes it a complex issue in medical practice. We report a case of a 13-year-old boy who presented with left scrotal pain. Further exploration revealed a tunica rupture without testicular torsion of the left testis, whereas the histopathological analysis of a nodule excised from the right testis indicated the presence of ovotestis tissues. A second nonemergent surgery preserved the testicular tissues as the ovarian tissue in both gonads was excised. After 22 months of follow-up, the patient’s testes produced normal testosterone levels sustained over time without any exogenous supplementation. This case reveals that, in male children who present with an acute scrotal disease as adolescents, the gonads should be retained until the etiology is confirmed, and the possibility of OT-DSD should be considered.