Undescended Testis
Undescended Testis is a common problem in children. Its reported incidence in children is 1 in every 100 live male births, which means that if 100 children are born at any time, one of them must be having this condition at 6 months of age. In this page, we will explain the symptoms, causes, treatment and surgery for Undescended testis.
The symptoms are obvious and children usually present as one testis being visible or both of them being absent in the scrotum of boys. This condition in children most commonly occurs on the right side and less commonly on the left side. In some children, it may occur on both sides also (10%).
Symptoms and Diagnosis:
The symptoms and diagnosis of Undescended testis is straightforward and is usually made on history and examination. After this diagnosis, we advise some routine tests, including Complete blood count, Hepatitis B, and C screening, and Ultrasound of this region.
Treatment of Undescended Testis:
The only treatment available for it in children is surgery. Some quacks claim that they can treat these children with medications. However, technically it is not possible, and the only treatment is surgery.
The ideal age for surgery of Undescended Testis is 6 months. It has been proven by multiple studies and scientific evidence. If a child presents immediately after birth, then we usually wait for 3 months of age. At the age of 3 months, we examine him again. If still he is having Undescended Testis, we plan the surgery at 6 months of age.
As these children usually also have inguinal hernia along with it, so inguinal hernia is also addressed in the same surgery. We recommend the earliest possible surgery for those children who present after 6 months of age. After 6 months, changes in the testis which is not present at its normal position, start to happen, and damage to it starts. Therefore, to prevent damage to the Testis, all pediatric surgeons in the world recommend earliest surgery.
If the testis is palpable, then we usually do it as a single-stage surgery.
If the testis is lying inside the abdomen, then we perform this surgery Laparoscopically and mostly in 2-stages. However, some surgeons also do this in a single stage.
- The post-operative care after Undescended Testis Surgery is available Here:
Postoperative Care after Undescended Surgery (In Urdu)
Related Links:
Some FAQ's about Undescended Testis
Undescended testis does not have any sepcific reason and cause. Infact it is a multifactorial disease and many reasons may be repsonsible for this to happen.
The ideal age for its surgery is 6 months. It can be corrected at any age, however, earlier the better.
It is a serious condition and needs an attention. If it is not treated in a timely and adequate manner, testis may loose its functioning. So it needs to be dealt very seriously. It is a moderate type of surgery and has medium type of risks.