EFFECT OF AGE AT OPERATION, LOCATION OF TESTIS AND PREOPERATIVE HORMONAL TREATMENT ON TESTICULAR GROWTH AFTER CRYPTORCHIDISM

Purpose: We evaluated the effect of patient age, primary location of t he gonad and preoperative human chorionic gonadotropin administration on future testicular growth in patients treated for cryptorchidism. Ma terials and Methods: Testicular volume was measured in 75 adults treat ed for cryptorchidism when they were 10 months to 13 years old. Result s: The mean volume of the cryptorchid testes plus or minus standard de viation, whether unilateral or bilateral, was 11 +/- 6 ml. compared to 20 +/- 7 ml. for the spontaneously descended testes in patients with unilateral cryptorchidism. The results showed no significant correlati on between patient age at treatment or original testicular location an d final testicular volume, although the 22 testes of 18 patients under going surgery after age 5 years were somewhat smaller (9 +/- 5 ml.) th an the 66 testes of 55 younger patients (12 +/- 6 ml.). However, 26 pa tients who had received human chorionic gonadotropin treatment had a s ignificantly smaller testis (9 +/- 5 ml.) than did 57 treated with sur gery alone (12 +/- 6 ml., p < 0.05). Conclusions: Early orchiopexy at age younger than 2 years is not necessarily essential. Adult testicula r volume is slightly greater in patients with cryptorchidism if treate d at ages up to 5 years. Preoperative location of the testis in otherw ise healthy boys exerts no definite effect on final testicular volume. Preoperative human chorionic gonadotropin administration may have an adverse effect on future testicular growth.