Abstract
Background: Cryptorchidism is one of the most common genitourinary disorders in young boys. About 1% - 2% of boys at age of 1 year have an undescended testis (UDT); this disorder is unilateral in about 90% of individuals and bilateral in about 10%. However, bilateral impalpable testes represent a special category that should be differentiated from anorchidism as well as male pseudohermaphroditism. We investigated whether bilateral impalpable testes with its inherent hormonal and genetic factors has different outcomes in terms of success of orchiopexies compared to unilateral impalpable testes. Methods: We retrospectively analyzed the demographic and clinical findings, as well as immediate and 6 month outcomes, in patients diagnosed with bilateral impalpable undescended testes between 2006 and 2010. Findings were reported after a minimum of 6 months from the last surgical intervention. Results: Nine patients underwent laparoscopy for bilateral impalpable testes, 7 of whom had testes in the region of the internal inguinal ring. The success rate after laparoscopic exploration and open orchiopexy was 60% while the success rate with unilateral impalpable testes was 63.3% in the same study. Conclusion: Although laparoscopy is extremely useful in both the diagnosis and treatment of patients with bilateral impalpable testes, laparoscopy should be preceded by careful cytogenetic and hormonal workup for this particular group of patients. We found that the success rates of laparoscopic management of bilateral and unilateral impalpable testes were similar, as shown by testicular size clinically sassed during serial postoperative outpatient visits.
Highlights
IntroductionAbout 1% - 2% of boys at age 1 year have an undescended testis (UDT), with the disorder being unilateral in about 90% and bilateral in about 10% of cases [1,2,3]
Cryptorchidism is one of the most common genitourinary disorders in young boys
Bilateral impalpable testes represent a special category that should be differentiated from anorchidism as well as male pseudohermaphroditism
Summary
About 1% - 2% of boys at age 1 year have an undescended testis (UDT), with the disorder being unilateral in about 90% and bilateral in about 10% of cases [1,2,3]. Among the methods used to evaluate and manage undescended testes are imaging modalities and various surgical procedures [5]. Over the past two decades, there have been changes in the surgical treatment of undescended testes. We investigated whether bilateral impalpable testes with its inherent hormonal and genetic factors has different outcomes in terms of success of orchiopexies compared to unilateral impalpable testes. This was shown by the assessment of testicular size clinically during serial postoperative outpatient visits
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