[Previous testicular position in boys who underwent orchidopexy due to undescended testis at the Alkmaar Medical Center, the Netherlands, during the period 1986-1999].

OBJECTIVE

To determine the previous testicular position in boys, in whom orchidopexy was performed for undescended testis.

DESIGN

Retrospective, descriptive.

METHOD

All boys, aged 0-18 years, who underwent orchidopexy in the Alkmaar Medical Centre, the Netherlands, during the period 1986-1999, were studied. The following information was obtained from the hospital medical records: indication for operation, date of the operation, laterality (unilateral or bilateral), the surgical findings and whether previous testicular position played a role in the decision to perform orchidopexy. For each boy who underwent orchidopexy for undescended testis, previous testicular positions up until the date of the operation were obtained from the appropriate youth health care institutions.

RESULTS

Hospital records were available for 851 boys who had undergone orchidopexy. The operation for undescended testis was performed in 717 boys and previous testicular positions were obtained for 565 boys. On a per testicle basis, 707 operations were carried out (142 bilaterally, 205 left-sided, 218 right-sided). From these 707 testes, a previous intrascrotal position was found at least once in 572 (80.9%), at least twice in 493 (69.7%) and at least three times in 419 (59.3%); 135 (19.1%) testes had never been intrascrotal. The majority of previously undescended testes were operated on at 3 years of age; most operations on previously descended testes were performed at 10.5 years of age. For 344 (48.7%) out of 707 testes, previous testis localisation was known in the hospital's medical records, for 96 (13.6%) testes registration was unclear and in 267 (37.8%) testes it was not reported. In 8 (1.4%) boys, testis registration after the birth was used on referral to document previous testicular position.

CONCLUSION

In total 80.9% of all orchidopexy operations were performed on testes that had previously been diagnosed as having descended normally. These probably included retractile testes as well as acquired forms. In 51.3% of the cases, previous testicular position was not known in the hospital's medical records at the time of operation.