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Natural course of acquired undescended testis in boys
W W M Hack1, R W Meijer, L M van der Voort-Doedens
1Department of Paediatrics, Medical Centre Alkmaar, Wilhelminalaan 12, 1815 JD, Alkmaar, The Netherlands. w.hack@mca.nl
Background:
Although orchidopexy is commonly performed for acquired undescended testis, therapy is still controversial. A prospective study on the natural course of acquired undescended testis in boys was initiated.
Methods:
At present, the study includes 63 boys with 74 acquired undescended testes in whom treatment and follow-up has been completed. In 15 boys with 20 acquired undescended testes, orchidopexy was performed before the onset of puberty, mainly at the request of the parents. In the remaining 48 boys with 54 acquired undescended testes, the onset of puberty was awaited. Of these, four boys with four acquired undescended testes were lost to follow-up.
Results:
In 42 of 50 boys the testis descended spontaneously at puberty with a testicular volume appropriate for age. In the remaining eight boys the testis failed to descend at puberty and orchidopexy was performed.
Conclusion:
The preliminary results of this study indicate that spontaneous descent at puberty commonly occurs in boys with acquired undescended testes, with testicular volume appropriate for age. It is suggested that surgical intervention before onset of puberty may not always be necessary in acquired undescended testis.