Contemporary practice of testicular prosthesis insertion

To assess the practice of testicular prosthesis insertion (TPI) related to orchidectomy in one geographical region and to identify the difference in the rates of insertion among different age groups.

Males who underwent orchidectomy between 1989 and 2009 were identified from data collected from Scottish Morbidity Records. Patients were classified into six age groups. The TPI rate and relation to original orchidectomy were analysed according to different age groups.

In all, 3364 patients underwent orchidectomy in the 20-year period of the study. The most common indications for orchidectomy were atrophy, undescended testes, torsion, and tumour. In the same period, 530 patients had a TPI, with 59.4% of them (316 patients) having TPI at initial surgery, 17.3% (92) as a second surgical procedure, and 22.8% (122) having the TPI without prior history of orchidectomy. Among patients who underwent TPI, postpubertal males were more likely to have simultaneous insertion at the time of orchidectomy than prepubertal males (83% vs 32%; odds ratio 10.44, 95% confidence interval 5.23-20.82; P < 0.01).

Younger males are more likely to have TPI at a later date. Paediatric urologists should be mindful of the possibility of concurrent TPI at the time of initial scrotal/groin exploration.