Testicular volume and elasticity changes in young children with undescended testes

To evaluate the differences and changes of testicular volume and elasticity in normal (NL) testes and undescended testes (UDTs) of children using shear wave elastography (SWE).

Testicular ultrasound images from children younger than 60 months old were retrospectively reviewed. Testicular volumes and elasticities were compared between the UDT group and NL group. In patients with unilateral UDT (uUDT), we also compared the values between uUDT and contralateral grossly normal (CGN) testis groups.

There were 25 UDTs including 4 bilateral in the UDT groupand 54 normal testes in the NL group. While testicular volume was significantly smaller in UDT (vs. NL) and uUDT (vs. CGN) groups, the elasticity was not different. Testicular volume was positively correlated with age in both NL (r=0.474) and CGN (r=0.729) groups (p<0.001), while there was no correlation in the UDT group. Testicular stiffness showed negative correlation with age in the NL group (r=-0.390, p=0.004) and positive correlation in the UDT group (r=0.426, p=0.034).

Instead of increasing volume and decreasing stiffness of normal testes during development of the early 60 months, UDTsexhibited smaller volume and increasing stiffness. The CGN testes of uUDT patients showed increasing volume without stiffness change.