Surgical treatment and follow up on undescended testis.
With skill and ability to control a variety of operative techniques, undescended testes can be placed in the scrotum with 90% success rate in palpable testes and 85% in abdominal testes. Long term results are related also to the variability of the disease. A hypothesis that in cryptorchid testes a common etiologic antenatal factor is associated with infertility and/or testicular malignancy is supported by the finding of the influence of maternal lifestyle factors on fertility, a relative cancer risk of OR: 2.0 in contralateral descended testis of unilateral cryptorchidism, impaired germ cell number at birth in some cryptorchid testes and Intratubular Germ Cell Neoplasia seen in early childhood. The hypothesis that the abnormal location of the testis exposes the testis to infertility and malignant transformation is supported by the findings of early treatment lowering the risk of both infertility and testicular cancer. Disrupted endocrine regulation may be combined with both hypotheses.
Thorup
Jorgen
J
Department of Pediatric Surgery 4272, University of Copenhagen, Blegdamsvej, Copenhagen, Denmark. j-thorup@rh.dk
Cortes
Dina
D
D000367:Age Factors; D015984:Causality; D003456:Cryptorchidism / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000601:surgery*; D013507:Endocrine Surgical Procedures / Q000379:methods* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007246:Infertility / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D012307:Risk Factors; D013736:Testicular Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology; D013737:Testis / Q000601:surgery; D016896:Treatment Outcome