Evaluation and Management of the Undescended Testis in Puerto Rico: A Single Surgeon's 10 Years of Experience

Cryptorchidism is an abnormality of the male genitourinary tract in which one or both testes fail to descend into the scrotum. The American Urological Association (AUA) clinical guidelines for the evaluation and treatment of cryptorchidism were recently published. We reviewed our experience with the evaluation and management of our patients and examined our findings with respect to the AUA and European Association of Urology (EAU) guidelines.

Data were obtained from pediatric patients who underwent a surgical intervention for an undescended testis from 2007 through 2017 at HIMA Hospital and the University Pediatric Hospital (both in Puerto Rico); all the surgeries were performed by the same surgeon. A total of 754 patients were identified; 142 patients were excluded due to lack of follow-up data (N = 612). The data obtained included age, testes locations, radiologic and surgical findings, and postoperative results.

At their initial evaluations, a large proportion of the patients (46.4%) came accompanied with radiographic imaging. These findings were consistent with those of the physical examination in 58.5% of the patients and with the surgical findings in 63.1% (sensitivity 77.9%, specificity 45.8%). Our data showed that the median referral age was 24 months, which suggests that there was a significant delay in diagnosis. At the time of surgery, the average age of the patients who required an orchiectomy was 3.93 years, while those who underwent an orchiopexy had an average age of 3.28 years.

Our data reveal that, despite its lack of usefulness, radiologic imaging continues to be included in the diagnostic workups of children newly identified with cryptorchidism in Puerto Rico. In addition, and contrary to the guidelines, there tends to be a significant delay in treatment with surgical intervention. It is important to continue to educate our referring physicians on the AUA and EUA guidelines in order to create awareness and encourage the proper diagnostic and treatment approach for cryptorchidism.