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This is a common abnormality seen in 1-3% of newborn boys. During fetal
development, the testis develop inside the abdominal cavity and should move
through the lower abdominal wall (inguinal canal) and into the scrotal sac. It
is unknown exactly what causes an arrest of this descent, but the testis
should ultimately reside in the scrotal compartment during the latter stages
of fetal development. After birth, some incompletely descended testes may complete
the descent in the first three months of life; but thereafter spontaneous descent
will not occur. The incompletely descended testis may not achieve fertility
potential if it resides outside the scrotal sac.
Surgical intervention is commonly performed to correct this problem. The name
of the operation is orchiopexy and this is accomplished via same day or
ambulatory surgery under general anesthesia. This entails a mini-incision
in the groin area and recovery is quite rapid. Occasionally, laparoscopy may
be performed to help in identifying the nonpalpable testis. Laparoscopy may also
be utilized to help in bringing the high intra abdominal testis down.
Lastly, a word on the retractile testis. This refers to a testis that
simply migrates upwards or has a tendency to move in and out of the scrotal
sac, due to a prominent cremasteric reflex. This is a common phenomenon in
infants and young children and the retractile testis does not require surgical
intervention.
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