Ovarian Torsion

The Twisted Garden Hose

Imagine a garden hose lying on the ground, with water flowing in from one end (the artery) and draining out the other (the vein). The hose sits on a flexible stand (the ligament). Now add a heavy weight to the middle of the hose—that's your cyst. When you bump the stand, the hose twists on itself like a wrung-out towel. Water still pushes in from the tap, but the drain end is kinked shut, so water backs up inside the hose and it swells like a balloon. The rubber gets tighter and tighter (that's your pain). After hours of backup, the incoming water pressure weakens because the inlet itself gets crimped, and now the water inside sits there, stagnant and warm—perfect for bacteria to grow. If you untwist the hose fast enough, the backup drains and the hose survives; if you wait too long, the rubber rots from the inside out, and you have to throw the hose away.