Congenital testicular deficiency. I. Absence of spermatogonia, Sertoli and Leydig cells as a cause of eunuchoidism with cryptorchidism.

Abstract

DEVELOPMENTAL and constitutional factors are among those most frequently considered in the evaluation of male hypogonadism of obscure origin. The concept of constitutional factors as a cause of primary gonadal deficiency is vague, ill defined, and not readily documented. By contrast, developmental defects as a cause of sex gland incompetence can usually be recognized without much difficulty. This applies not only to the grossly recognizable rare cases of gonadal agenesis but also to those instances requiring histopathologic analysis of the testis. The object of the present communication is to report an instance of eunuchoidism due to a congenital testicular defect and to draw attention to the histologic criteria for its recognition despite the presence of cryptorchidism. CASE REPORT The patient was a 23-year-old native of Puerto Rico who came to the United States three years previously. He was one of 11 siblings, 4 of whom were females, whose ages ranged between 11 and 30 years. One brother, 26 years of a...