Relationship between the persistence of the processus vaginalis and age in patients with cryptorchidism

To assess if there is an age group where the occurrence of persistent processus vaginalis is more frequent in patients with cryptorchidism.

We studied 24 fetuses with gestational age between 23 and 35 weeks postconception (control group) and 102 patients (137 testes) with cryptorchidism aged between 1 and 33 years (mean 10.3 years). We considered 2 situations for analysis of the processus vaginalis: a) complete persistence of processus vaginalis and, b) complete obliteration of the processus vaginalis between the internal inguinal ring and the upper pole of the testis.

Of the 137 cases of cryptorchidism, the processus vaginalis was patent in 79 (57.6%) and obliterated in 58 (42.4%). Of the 55 patients between 1 and 4 years old, 37 (67.2%) had a patent processus vaginalis and 18 (32.8%) an obliterated one. Of the 37 patients between 5 and 8 years, 17 (45.9%) had patent processus vaginalis and 20 (54.1%) had an obliterated process. In the 45 patients over 9 years of age, in 25 (55.5%) the processus vaginalis was patent and in 20 (44.5%) it was obliterated. In the fetuses, we found 4 cases (8.3%) of persistence of the processus vaginalis.

There was no difference in the occurrence of patent processus vaginalis between the various age ranges under study. Patent processus vaginalis was more frequent in patients with cryptorchidism than in fetuses.