Undescended Testicle

 Pathophysiology

Undescended testicle (or Cryptorchidism) is a condition seen in newborns when one or both of the male testes have not passed down into the scrotal sac. Cryptorchidism is more commonly seen in premature males because the testes do not descend from the abdomen to the scrotal sac until the seventh month of fetal development.

 Disease statistics

For patients with seminoma (all stages combined), the cure rate exceeds 90%. For patients with low-stage seminoma or nonseminoma, the cure rate approaches 100%.

 Disease treatment

It may include: Hormonal therapy- Hormone injections like (B-HCG or testosterone) to try to bring the testicle into the scrotum and is not usually recommended because it is much less effective than surgery, and Surgical repair- To bring the testicle into the scrotum and can be done either with a laparoscope or with open surgery.

 Major research

Our current projects are looking for associations between information we obtained at the time of the child’s surgery (e.g., the location of the testes at birth and the number and type of cells present in the testis) with semen analysis, testis ultrasound and hormonal data we obtained once the patients turned 18.