Clinical efficacy of two-staged Fowler-Stephens laparoscopic orchidopexy in the treatment of children with high cryptorchidism

Abstract

Objective: To Evaluate the clinic effect of two-staged laparoscopic Fowler-Stephens orchiopexy in the treatment of high cryptorchidism, and compare it with laparoscopic orchiopexy treatment without disconnecting spermatic vessels. Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted on 20 cases of children with high cryptorchidism who were treated with two-staged Fowler-Stephens orchiopexy from January 2015 to April 2019 (F-S group). All the children in this group had unilateral cryptorchidism, age 6 to 18 months. The average age was 13.5 months. Seven cases were on the left side, and 13 cases were on the right side. There were 20 control children in the same age group who were treated with testicular fixation without disconnecting spermatic vessels, age 6 to 18 months. The average age was 12.5 months. Six cases were on the left side, and 14 cases were on the right side. Testicular ultrasonography and sex hormone examination were conducted before operation. F-S group met the indications for Fowler-Stephens surgical. In the first stage, the testicular vessels were doubly clipped at a site away from the testis in laparoscopic, and the second stage was scheduled about 6 months after the first stage. The children in the control group were treated with laparoscopic orchiopexy without disconnect spermatic vessels. The two groups were followed up to 6 months after the operation, and the testicular volume and sex hormone indexes of the two groups were measured. The testicular volume and sex hormones before and after the operation of the F-S group and the control group were respectively subjected to a self-control study, and a hormone comparison study was carried out between the two groups of children. Results: Both the F-S group and the control group successfully fixed the testes in the scrotum without tension during the operation. In both groups, 20 cases of testicular positions were reexamined 6 months after the operation without retraction. All the patients had a viable testis in scrotum after operation. Two of F-S group had an atrophic testis in the scrotum, and the others had a good vascularization detected on echo color doppler ultrasound. The average testicular volume of F-S group was (0.34±0.16) ml before operation and the postoperative one was (0.38±0.13) ml, P=0.089, P>0.05. In control group, the preoperative average testicular volume was (0.40±0.14) ml, and postoperative one was (0.40±0.15) ml, P=0.933, P>0.05. The testicular volume of two group had no significant difference. Sex hormone reexamination: Testosterone (T), estradiol (E2) and luteinizing hormone (LH) did not change after operation. Prolactin (PRL) in F-S group was 13.44 μg/L before operation and 12.3 μg/L after operation, PRL in control group was from 15.45 μg/L to 10.34 μg/L, P=0.732, the change of prolactin (PRL) has no significant difference. The median preoperative follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) in the F-S group was 1.18 U/L preoperatively and 1.61 U/L postoperatively; the median FSH of the control group was 1.21 U/L preoperatively and 1.1 U/L postoperatively. Compared between the two groups, the postoperative increase in the FS group was higher than that before the operation, P=0.032, P<0.05, the difference was statistically significant. The median of progesterone (PROG) in the F-S group was 0.25 nmol/L before operation and 0.17 nmol/L after operation; the median PROG of the control group was 0.56 nmol/L before operation and 0.24 nmol/L after operation. It was lower after the operation than before the operation, P=0.034, P<0.05, the difference was statistically significant. Conclusions: (1) Laparoscopic Fowler-stephens staging operation is an effective method for the treatment of patients with high cryptorchidism, and it is worthy of further promotion. (2) Disruption of spermatic cord vessels does have an impact on hormones changes. The choice of this surgical procedure should be carefully and fully evaluated.