Importance of early postnatal germ cell maturation for fertility of cryptorchid males.
METHODS
Twenty-seven adults who underwent an orchidopexy before 2 years of age have recently had their spermiograms analyzed.


RESULTS
Sixty-three percent of them had a normal sperm count; their germ cells had undergone the second stage of maturation and adult dark (Ad) spermatogonia were present at the time of surgery 20-25 years earlier. In contrast, 37% of them were infertile despite a seemingly successful orchidopexy; they had impaired second-step germ cell maturation and Ad spermatogonia were absent at orchidopexy.


CONCLUSIONS
Transformation of gonocytes into Ad spermatogonia is crucial for fertility. This underscores the importance of a testicular biopsy at orchidopexy in order to identify those who could benefit from early LH-RH treatment after orchidopexy.
Hadziselimovic
F
F
Kindertagesklinik, Liestal, Switzerland.
Herzog
B
B
D000328:Adult; D016922:Cellular Senescence / Q000502:physiology; D003456:Cryptorchidism / Q000150:complications / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000601:surgery; D005298:Fertility / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn / Q000502:physiology*; D008297:Male; D009845:Oligospermia / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology; D012016:Reference Values; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D013076:Sperm Count; D013094:Spermatozoa / Q000502:physiology*