title: Treatment of cryptorchidism with human chorionic gonadotropin or gonadotropin releasing hormone. A double-blind controlled study of 243 boys.
abstract: We have conducted a modified double-blind study on the effect of human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG), gonadotropin releasing hormone (GnRH) and placebo on bilateral and unilateral maldescended testes. One hundred and fifty-five boys with bilateral and 88 boys with unilateral cryptorchidism fulfilled the inclusion criteria and completed the treatment protocol. The boys were between 1 and 13 years of age. hCG was administered as intramuscular injections twice weekly for 3 weeks. GnRH and placebo were given intranasally. hCG was superior to GnRH and placebo in the treatment of bilateral maldescended testes (p = 0.0009). Both testes descended in 25% of the boys following treatment with hCG, and improvement in the position of the testes was obtained in a further 25% of the cases. hCG administration resulted in complete testicular descent in 14% of boys with unilateral cryptorchidism compared with 3 and 0% after placebo and GnRH, respectively (p = 0.07). The testis had moved to a more distal position in 46% of the boys treated with hCG. There was no significant difference between the treatment groups with regard to age or initial position of the testes. We conclude that a success rate of 25% justifies the use of hCG in the treatment of maldescended testes, whereas the study did not support a general use of GnRH administered intranasally.
authors.affiliation: University Department of Pediatrics, Hvidovre Hospital, Copenhagen, Denmark.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Christiansen
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Müller
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Buhl
authors.forename: O R
authors.initials: OR
authors.lastname: Hansen
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Hobolth
authors.forename: B B
authors.initials: BB
authors.lastname: Jacobsen
authors.forename: P H
authors.initials: PH
authors.lastname: Jørgensen
authors.forename: K W
authors.initials: KW
authors.lastname: Kastrup
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Nielsen
authors.forename: L B
authors.initials: LB
authors.lastname: Nielsen
mesh_terms: D000281:Administration, Intranasal; D000293:Adolescent; D000367:Age Factors; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D006063:Chorionic Gonadotropin / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D003456:Cryptorchidism / Q000188:drug therapy*; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007273:Injections, Intramuscular; D008297:Male; D010906:Pituitary Hormone-Releasing Hormones / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D010919:Placebos; D013737:Testis / Q000033:anatomy & histology; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D006063:Chorionic Gonadotropin; D010906:Pituitary Hormone-Releasing Hormones; D010919:Placebos