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[Penile length of the children with unilateral cryptorchidism]
Xiang Guo1, Shuang Li1, Wei Lei1
1Department of Urology, Wuhan Children's Hospital Affiliated to Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei 430015, China.
Insights
Unilateral cryptorchidism (UC) in boys is associated with shorter penile length compared to healthy peers. Higher testis location in UC cases correlates with reduced penile length, impacting penile development.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Urology
- Andrology
- Developmental Biology
Background:
- Unilateral cryptorchidism (UC) is a common congenital condition in male infants.
- Penile development is a critical aspect of male reproductive health.
- The impact of UC on penile length requires further investigation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the effect of unilateral cryptorchidism on penile length in children.
- To compare penile length between boys with UC and healthy controls.
- To assess the influence of testis location on penile length in UC patients.
Main Methods:
- A cohort study involving 491 male children aged 12-24 months.
- Included 241 healthy controls and 250 UC patients (intra-abdominal and inguinal).
- Measured stretched penile length (SPL) and analyzed associations with height and weight.
Main Results:
- UC patients exhibited significantly shorter SPL (3.7 ± 0.5 cm) than controls (4.3 ± 0.8 cm).
- Intra-abdominal UC showed shorter SPL (3.4 ± 0.2 cm) than inguinal UC (3.8 ± 0.3 cm).
- No significant differences in height or weight were found between groups.
Conclusions:
- Boys with unilateral cryptorchidism have shorter penile length than healthy children.
- Higher testicular location in UC is associated with shorter penile length.
- UC negatively impacts penile development, with location being a key factor.
Objective:
To investigate the impact of unilateral cryptorchidism (UC) on penile development in children.
Methods:
We collected the relevant data on 491 male children aged 12－24 months from January 2017 to January 2019, including 241 normal healthy subjects (the control group) and 250 UC patients (the UC group, 123 with intra-abdominal and the other 127 with inguinal cryptorchidism). We measured the stretched penile length (SPL) in the flaccid state and analyzed its association with the height and weight of the subjects.
Results:
The average SPL of the UC patients was significantly shorter than that of the normal controls (［3.7 ± 0.5］ vs ［4.3 ± 0.8］ cm, P < 0.01), and so was that of the UC patients in the 12－18 and 19－24 months age groups than that of the normal controls in the same age groups (P < 0.01). Besides, the SPL was also markedly shorter in the intra-abdominal UC than in the inguinal UC group (［3.4 ± 0.2］ vs ［3.8 ± 0.3］ cm, P < 0.05). No statistically significant differences, however, were observed in the height and weight of the subjects between the UC and normal control groups.
Conclusions:
The penile length of the boy with unilateral cryptorchidism is shorter than that of the normal healthy child, the higher the testis location, the shorter the penile length.
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