Scope
The Bottom Line
- Assess unilateral scrotal pain, swelling, urinary and urethral symptoms, sexual exposure, procedures and systemic illness while excluding torsion first.
- Obtain first-void urine STI NAAT and urine culture as indicated and choose treatment by likely sexually transmitted or enteric cause.
- Prepubertal disease and older enteric-risk disease have different causes from sexually transmitted disease and need age-specific investigation.
- Use the Australian STI guideline antimicrobial regimen and provide analgesia, scrotal support, partner notification and abstinence advice.
Practical clinical workflow
Topic-specific assessment action
Topic-specific diagnostic action
Topic-specific management action
Topic-specific follow-through
Safety boundaries and escalation
- Sudden severe pain, high-riding or horizontal testis, absent cremasteric reflex, vomiting or diagnostic uncertainty requires immediate surgical exploration pathway.
- Sudden symptom onset should keep torsion high on the differential even when urinary symptoms coexist.
Implementation
Clinical use boundary
This independently written summary is not an official guideline. Check the linked source version, current TGA-approved product information where medicines are involved, and the applicable state, territory and local pathway at the point of care.
Source documents
Use the linked source documents for complete recommendations, evidence grading, exclusions and implementation detail.
- Australasian Society for HIV, Viral Hepatitis and Sexual Health MedicineAustralian STI Management Guidelines for Use in Primary CareLiving web guideline checked 2026-08-20 路 accessed 2026-08-20view source
From guidance to deliberate practice and evidence
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