Timing of surgery in perineal ectopic testes: analysis of 16 cases

Between 1993 and 1998, 16 patients with perineal ectopic testes (PET) (1%) were diagnosed among the 1,576 patients operated upon for undescended teste s (UDT) in two pediatric surgical centers. The mean age was 23 +/- 22.5 mon ths. The clinical presentation was an empty scrotum with an ipsilateral pal pable perineal mass in 16 patients and an inguinal hernia in 5. In all exce pt 1 patient whose atrophic testis was removed, orchiopexy into the dartos pouch was easily performed through a standard inguinal skin-crease incision . The length of the testicular vessels and vas deferens was adequate and re troperitoneal dissection was not required. Although the complications of UD T are the same as for PET, the timing of surgery should be different. It is generally accepted that children must not be below 6 months of age for sur gical correction of UDT, but there is no need to delay surgery in PET, whic h can easily be diagnosed by physical examination in the neonatal period. S urgery is indicated even if there is no hernia present.