Orchidopexy: the effect of changing patterns of referral and treatment on outcome

One-hundred and twenty-eight orchidopexies performed between 1979 and 1981 were reviewed in 1985, and the results compared with the results of operations performed in 1972. The age of referral has been determined for 1972, 1979-1981 and 1985. The number of unsatisfactory results has decreased from 35 per cent in 1972 to 9.4 per cent between 1979 and 1981. Five cases of the 'ascending testicle' were discovered, confirming the importance of this phenomenon. We suggest that the optimum age for orchidopexy is during the second year of life; however, during 1985, only 20 per cent of boys referred for orchidopexy were under 3 years of age. Doctors performing neonatal examinations should consider the possibility of cryptorchidism and ensure that affected neonates are reviewed at 1 year. The potential theoretical advantages of orchidopexy at an early age will only be converted into clinical benefit if the operation is performed by an experienced surgeon who has developed an expertise in this area of surgery.