title: Can Hypertrophy of the Contralateral Testis Predict the Absence of a Viable Testis in Infancy with Cryptorchidism: A Prospective Analysis.
abstract: This prospective study aimed to evaluate whether Contralateral compensatory testicular hypertrophy (CTH) is valid as a predictive tool for a non-viable testis in children aged between 6 and 18 months, and whether CTH is affected by mini-puberty. Seventy-two testes from 60 boys aged between 6 and 18 months were categorized into three groups: 24 testes contralateral to surgically removed non-viable testes (NVTs), 24 testes contralateral to surgically corrected undescended testes (UDTs), and 24 testes from a normal controls. Contralateral testicular length and volume were measured with ultrasonography and compared among the groups. Group 1 (NVT) had a significantly longer length and larger volume than group 2 (UDT). The length and volume of each group among three developmental periods (6-10, 10-14, and 14-18 months) were also analyzed. In the controls, the length was significantly larger at 6-10 months than at 10-14 months in accordance with previously reported changes in testicular size due to the effect of "mini-puberty." The volume of controls showed a similar pattern, though without statistical significance. However, this pattern was not observed in the NVT and UDT groups. A receiver operating curve revealed that a testicular length of 16.1 mm or a volume of 0.59 ml had the highest sensitivity and specificity for predicting NVTs. The CTH was also found to be valid as a predictive tool for a NVT in children of ages 6 to 18 months, as the effect of mini-puberty appeared to be absent in the NVT and UDT groups. However, the cut-off values were less than those of previous reports. The proper cut-off level according to the age and measurement method should be applied in this developmental period.
authors.affiliation: Department of Urology and the Urological Science Institute, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Hee Seo
authors.initials: HS
authors.lastname: Son
authors.affiliation: Department of Urology and the Urological Science Institute, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Yong Seung
authors.initials: YS
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: Department of Urology and the Urological Science Institute, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Young Jae
authors.initials: YJ
authors.lastname: Im
authors.affiliation: Department of Urology and the Urological Science Institute, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Sang Woon
authors.initials: SW
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Department of Urology and the Urological Science Institute, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Byung Hoon
authors.initials: BH
authors.lastname: Chi
authors.affiliation: Department of Urology and the Urological Science Institute, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Sang Won
authors.initials: SW
authors.lastname: Han
mesh_terms: D016022:Case-Control Studies; D003456:Cryptorchidism / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D006984:Hypertrophy; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D013737:Testis / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery