• Advances in pediatric surgery
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• v.5 no.1
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• pp.26-32
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• 1999

We analyzed our experience with orchidopexy for undescended testicle performed during recent 10 years in order to evaluate our results and to determine the most effective treatment of undecended testes. Between 1988 and 1997, we treated 420 undescended tested (314 palpable and 106 nonpalpable) in 356 boys. Medical records were reviewed with respect to age at presentation, the surgical approach, testicular location, testicular volume and the final outcome. The average patient age at presentation was 4.1 years with 40.2 % presenting before age 2 years. Of 106 nonpalpable testes, 23 testes were intra-abdominal, 32 were preperitoneal and 51 were absent. During the first 5 years, we performed orchidopexy through 31 inguinal and 13 midline transabdominal incisions for 44 paitents with nonpalpable testes. In the next 5 years, all 47 patients with nonpalpable were treated through inguinal incisions. For the nonpalpable testes, the inguinal approach with or without intraperitoneal extension was successful in defining the location of testes and blind-ending vessels in all patients. Laparoscopy did not help to avoid surgical exploration in all our patients with nonpalpable tests. Of 339 inguinal and midline tranabdominal orchidopexies without spermatic vessels ligations, 324 testes were placed in the scrotum, 4 in the upper scrotum and 3 in the inguinal area. Eight testes underwent atrophy. Of 13 Fowler-Stephens orchidopexies, 7 were placed in the scrotum and 6 became atrophied. Testicular growths were noticed in most patients who underwent orchidopexies and the colume of pexed testes became as large as the contralateral normal testes by the mean duration of 43.3 months postoperatively. In conclusion, orchidopexies were successful in most cases of cryptochidism in terms of testicular position and growth. However, there were more testicular atrophies in cases where spermatic vessels were ligated. In cases of nonpalpable undescended testes, the inguinal approach with or without intraperitoneal extesion would be recommended.