Ency. home > Disease > U > Undescended testicle

Undescended testicle    See images

Overview | Symptoms | Treatment | Prevention

Alternative names:

Cryptorchidism; Empty scrotum; Scrotum - empty; Monorchism

Definition:

Failure of the testicle to move from the abdominal cavity to the scrotum.

Causes and Risks

The testicles develop before birth in the abdominal cavity. Normally, they descend into the scrotum before birth. Undescended testicle occurs when the testicle fails to move into the scrotum prior to birth.

Undescended testicles are fairly common in premature infants, and occur in about 3 to 4% of full-term infants. About 65% of the testicles typically descend by 9 months of age.

Once a testicle has been discovered in the scrotum, it is generally considered descended, even if it is temporarily retracted on a later examination. Sometimes a condition (referred to as retractile testes) will develop, in which the examiner can sometimes locate the testicles and sometimes not. This occurs because of the strength of the muscular reflex (cremasteric reflex) that retracts the testicles and the small mass of the testicles before puberty. In this instance, the testicles descend at puberty. These testicles are considered a variant of normal and do not need surgical correction.

Testicles that do not descend by one year of age should be carefully evaluated. Recent studies suggest that definitive surgery should be accomplished by three years of age to confirm diagnosis and to lessen the likelihood of permanent testicular damage. Testicles that do not naturally descend into the scrotum are considered abnormal throughout the patient's life. These undescended testicles have an increased likelihood of developing cancer regardless of if they are brought down into the scrotum or not. Bringing the testicle into the scrotum maximizes sperm production and allows examination for early detection of testicular cancer.

Ency. home > Disease > U > Undescended testicle

[an error occurred while processing this directive]