الفهرس | Only 14 pages are availabe for public view |
Abstract Undescended testis also called cryptorchidism or cryptorchism, undescended testis is a common male anomaly. The testes usually descend into the scrotum at approximately the 8th month of foetal life. (1-3) About 21-33% of premature and 3% full term male neonates have unilateral undescended testes. (2) Most of these will descend spontaneously at the age of one year, but 0.8% of boys continue to have undescended testes. Spontaneous descent after one year of age is unlikely, and studies of school children and military recruits demonstrate 1% prevalence of true cryptorchism. (3) In approximately 4% of patients, the undescended testes is non-palpable because it is intra-abdominal or intra-canalicular in location as well as because the testis is atrophic or absent. (2) Preoperative location of the testis allows a planned surgical approach, reducing the extent of exploration and anesthesia time. (2) Even though the incidence of cryptorchidism may have only slightly altered over the years, the frequency of orchiopexies has increased three folds.(4) This changed approach to cryptorchidism is due to a better understanding of the adverse histological changes that develop quite early and rapidly in primary and secondary cryptorchid testes.(5) The present study was designed to assess the usefulness of ultrasound (US), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in the diagnosis of the location of undescended testes, and to determine the most accurate and least invasive diagnostic modality of treating cryptorchid testes. |