title: Surgical approach to the palpable undescended testis.
abstract: An undescended testis may be associated with abnormal testicular development and function. A number of testes that are undescended at birth have been observed to descend spontaneously. The goal of orchidopexy remains to place those testes in the scrotum that would not have descended spontaneously. How long should the surgeon wait for spontaneous descent? By what age should the testis be positioned in the scrotum to avert further damage? Does earlier intervention result in a better functioning testis? Do different surgical techniques differ in their success in retaining the testis in the scrotum when dealing with the palpable undescended testis? This article reviews the current information on the timing and types of surgical intervention of the palpable undescended testes and their outcomes.
authors.affiliation: Douglas Cohen Department of Paediatric Surgery, The Children's Hospital at Westmead, Discipline of Paediatrics and Child Health, Sydney Medical School, The University of Sydney, Locked Bag 4001, Westmead, NSW, 2145, Australia.
authors.forename: Reju J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Thomas
authors.forename: Andrew J A
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Holland
mesh_terms: D003456:Cryptorchidism / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000601:surgery*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D056126:Orchiopexy / Q000379:methods*; D010173:Palpation; D013737:Testis / Q000601:surgery*