TISSUE HYPOXIA IN IPSILATERAL AND CONTRALATERAL TESTES UNDERGOING SURGICALLY INDUCED MALDESCENT

The mechanism of deterioration of ipsilateral and contralateral testes during unilateral maldescent remains controversical. Proposing that a lterations in tissue perfusion may play a role in ipsilateral and cont ralateral testicular deteriorations, an experimental study has been pl anned to evaluate the status of parameters of tissue hypoxia in ipsila teral and contralateral testes following surgically induced maldescent , in rats which preoperatively underwent placebo or chemical sympathec tomy. 60 male albino rats were used for the experiment. At the age of 21 days each 30 rats that were treated by placebo or chemical sympathe ctomy agent were divided into 3 groups undergoing sham operation, abdo minal fixation of one testis or abdominal fixation of both testes. At the age of 3 months the rats underwent bilateral orchidectomies and la ctic acid (LA) and hypoxanthine (HX) levels were measured in testicula r tissues. Maldescent of the testis resulted in a marked increase of L A and HX values in the ipsilateral testis compared to controls, and al so resulted in increased levels of LA and H;X in the contralateral tes tis. Although tile levels of LA and HX were lower compared to ipsilate ral undescended counterparts the levels in contralateral testis were s ignificantly elevated compared to the contralateral testes of rats und ergoing sham operation following placebo treatment. Bilateral maldesce nt resulted in similar elevations of LA and HX in both of the testes. Administration of 6-hydroxydopamine did not result in decreased levels of LA and HX values in the ipsilateral testis following unilateral te sticular undescendence. However the LA levels in the contralateral des cended testis did not reveal a significant difference compared to the contralateral testis of rats undergoing sham operation. The present ex perimental design reveals that abdominal fixation of the testis result s in tissue hypoxia not only in the ipsilateral but also in the contra lateral testis. Chemical sympathectomy has some protective effects on contralateral testicular hypoxia during unilateral maldescent. Tissue hypoxia during maldescent may result from relative inadequacy of testi cular blood now to overcome the increased metabolic demands under hype rthermic conditions.