ABSTRACT
Testis 103
Introduction 103
Technique 104
Results 110
Complications 110
Ovary 111
Introduction 111
Techniques 113
References 114
TESTIS
Introduction
Cryptorchidism affects 0.8% of all males, with rates approaching 3% in neonates. Premature infants are noted to have a higher incidence of undescended
testes, although this approaches that of full-term infants as they catch up with
their counterparts in age. Nearly one in five of all these children will have an
intra-abdominal testis, while an additional cohort of patients will have a poorly
localized gonad within the inguinal canal. Surgical management of cryptorchid-
ism has been advocated for several reasons. (i) Scrotal placement of the testis
allows for easier monitoring and self-examination of the gonad to detect solid
masses, since these testes carry a significant increased risk of malignancy (1).
(ii) Various authors have found that these testes appear to be histologically
normal appearing prior to age 1 (2). Early orchidopexy may therefore avert or
ameliorate the decreased fertility that has been associated with this anomaly.
(iii) The improved cosmetic appeal of a more “normal” appearing scrotum
cannot be underestimated for the psyche of young males.