[Is it necessary to place a surgical clamp early in the spermatic cord during testicular examination via inguinal approach?].

OBJECTIVE The presence of tumor cells in the spermatic cord was evaluated in patients undergoing inguinal testis study in order to assure if the placement of a clamp in it was necessary to avoid tumor dissemination. MATERIAL AND METHODS Inguinal testis studies were performed over a two year period in 38 patients diagnosed of testicular mass. The presence of tumor cells in blood vessels or lymph nodes of the cord was evaluated in all of the patients. RESULTS Testicular tumors were found in 28 patients (20 seminoma, 5 mixed tumor and 3 embryonal) with an average age of 42 (range 21-82) years. There were T1N0M0 21; T1N1M0 3; T2N0M0 2 and T2N1M0 2 cases, respectively. Independently of the stage and tumor lineage, tumor cells in the cord vessels were not observed in any of the cases through the pathology study. CONCLUSION In our causistics, it seems that the surgical act consisting in the placement of a clamp early in the cord lacks a scientific foundation. However, this study does not make it possible to state that not performing this maneuver during the surgical procedure is oncologically safe. Thus, a precedent is established to perform studies with a larger number of patients that will make it possible to corroborate this observation. This would result in less traumatic and safer surgical techniques that would allow conserving the testis and its functionality.