UNDESCENDED TESTIS: A STUDY OF 50 CASES

Area of Science:

• Pediatric Surgery
• Urology
• Andrology

Background:

• Undescended testis (cryptorchidism) affects a significant number of pediatric patients.
• Delayed diagnosis and treatment can lead to complications such as infertility and malignancy.
• Management strategies vary, necessitating evaluation of treatment outcomes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the treatment outcomes of undescended testis in a service hospital setting.
• To assess the efficacy of diagnostic tools like ultrasonography in locating impalpable testes.
• To determine optimal management strategies for different age groups and presentations of undescended testis.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective analysis of 50 consecutive cases of undescended testis treated between January 1993 and December 1995.
• Review of patient demographics, diagnostic methods (including ultrasonography), surgical procedures, and outcomes.
• Categorization of patients by age, with specific attention to pre-pubertal and post-pubertal groups.

Main Results:

• A majority of patients (50%) were over 15 years old, indicating delayed presentation.
• Ultrasonography demonstrated unreliability in localizing impalpable undescended testes.
• Subdartos pouch orchiopexy (Winsburry-White) yielded good results in 21 of 25 performed procedures.
• Two cases of seminoma were identified in intra-abdominal testes.

Conclusions:

• Ultrasonography is not a reliable tool for locating impalpable undescended testes.
• Subdartos pouch orchiopexy is an effective surgical approach for undescended testis with good outcomes.
• Orchidectomy should be considered the primary treatment option for unilateral symptomatic maldescent in post-pubertal patients.