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Updated: May 18, 2026
Microsurgical Obstruction of Testes Fusion in Spodoptera litura
Published on: July 16, 2021
Complete testis-epididymis nonfusion anomaly: a typical association with cryptorchid testis
E Rachmani1, Z Zachariou, H Snyder
1Department of Pediatric Surgery, University Children's Hospital, Bern, Switzerland.
Introduction:
Fusion anomalies of the testis and epididymis are associated with cryptorchidism. We present an analysis of the fusion anomalies of the epididymis in cryptorchid boys.
Patients And Methods:
We performed a retrospective review of patients presenting with undescended testes between 1986 and 1993. Patients were stratified among four groups based on the degree of testis-epididymis nonfusion.
Results:
A total of 880 testes were eligible for review, of which 93% (815/880) had normal fusion, 3.6% (32/880) had epididymal head nonfusion, 2% (19/880) had epididymal tail nonfusion, and 1.6% (14/880) had complete nonfusion. Increasing degree of nonfusion was associated with higher perioperative testes position. Head and tail nonfusion were observed together with a contralateral descended testis, but less frequently than in bilateral undescended testes (p = 3.89 × E-10). Complete nonfusion was not observed in the contralateral descended testes in unilateral cryptorchid boys.
Conclusions:
Different degrees of fusion anomalies of the epididymis are associated with unilateral and bilateral undescended testis, indicating that nonfusion anomalies interact with epididymal-testicular descent because of impaired epididymal function.
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