Timing of paediatric orchidopexy in universal healthcare systems: international administrative data cohort study

Mapping of referral patterns for undescended testes - Risk factors for referral of children with normal testes

BACKGROUND

Accurate referral of boys with suspected undescended testes (UDT) is of importance to preserve fertility and reduce risk of future testicular cancer. While late referral is well studied, there is less knowledge about incorrect referrals, hence, referral of boys with normal testes.

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the proportion of UDT referrals that did not lead to surgery or follow-up, and to assess risk factors for referral of boys with normal testes.

STUDY DESIGN

All UDT referrals to a tertiary center of pediatric surgery during 2019-2020 were retrospectively assessed. Only children with suspected UDT in the referral (not suspected retractile testicles) were included. Primary outcome was normal testes at examination by a pediatric urologist. Independent variables were age, season, region of residence, referring care unit, referrer's educational level, referrer's findings, and ultrasound result. Risk factors for not needing surgery/follow-up were assessed with logistic regression and presented as adjusted odds ratios with a 95% confidence interval (aOR, [95% CI]).

RESULTS

A total of 378 out of 740 included boys (51.1%) had normal testes. Patients >4 years (aOR 0,53, 95% CI [0,30-0,94]), referrals from pediatric clinics (aOR 0.27, 95% CI [0.14-0.51]) or surgery clinics (aOR 0.06, 95% CI [0.01-0.38]) had lower risk of normal testes. Boys referred during spring (aOR 1.80, 95% CI [1.06-3.05]), by a non-specialist physician (aOR 1.58, 95% CI [1.01-2.48]) or referrer's description of bilateral UDT (aOR 2.34, 95% CI [1.58-3.45]), or retractile testes (aOR 6.99, 95% CI [3.61-13.55]) had higher risk of not needing surgery/follow-up. None of the referred boys that had normal testes had been re-admitted at the end of this study (October 2022).

DISCUSSION

Over 50% of boys referred for UDT had normal testes. This is higher or equal to previous reports. Efforts to reduce this rate should in our setting probably be directed towards well-child centers and training in examination of testicles. The main limitation of this study is the retrospective design and the rather short follow-up time, which however should have very modest effect on the main findings.

CONCLUSION

Over 50% of boys referred for UDT have normal testes. A national survey regarding the management and examination of boys testicles has been launched and directed at well-child centers to further evaluate the findings of the current study.

Are we still too late? Timing of orchidopexy

An undescended testis is the most common genitourinary disease in boys. The German guidelines, first published in 2009, proposed the timing of orchidopexy to be before 12 months of age. The aim of the study was to analyze the implementation of these guidelines 10 years after publication. The national cumulative statistics of hospital admissions, provided by the Institute for the Remuneration System in Hospitals (InEK), and the statistics concerning procedures performed in private pediatric surgical practices of the professional association of pediatric surgeons (BNKD) regarding the time of surgeries for the year 2019 were analyzed. Data from InEK included all German hospital admissions. Data from BNKD included data from 48 private pediatric surgical practices. The hospitals treated 6476 inpatients with undescended testis, and 3255 patients were operated in private practices. Regarding the age at treatment, 15% of the hospital patients and 5% of the private practice patients were younger than 1 year and fulfilled the guideline recommendations. Forty percent of the hospital patients and 29% of the private practice patients were 1 or 2 years of age. All other patients were 3 years of age or older at the time of orchidopexy.  Conclusions: The rate of orchidopexy within the first 12 months of life is remarkably low even 10 years after the publication of the guidelines. Awareness of the existing guideline must be increased for both referring pediatric and general practitioners. What is Known: • In Germany, orchidopexy is performed by pediatric surgeons and urologists either in hospital settings or in private practices. • Most international guidelines set the age for surgical treatment of undescended testis between 12 and 18 months of age. The German guidelines, published in 2009, sets the time-limit at one year of age. Until five years after publication of the German guidelines, the number of patients treated before the first year of life was low; studies show an orchidopexy ratebetween 8% and 19% during this time. What is New: • This study the first to cover all administered hospital patients in Germany and a large group of patients treated in private practices. It contains the largest group of German patients with undescended testis. • Although almost all children participate in the routine check-up at the age of seven months, which includes investigation for undescended testis, adherence to the orchidopexy guidelines is still low. Only 15% of the hospital patients and 5% of the patients in private practice were treated before their first birthdays.

Open controversies on the treatment of undescended testis: An update

Cryptorchidism is a common congenital malformation in pediatric urology. Although there have been many studies on the etiology of the disease, it has not been fully clarified, and while its diagnostic and treatment models have gradually approached standardization and systematization, some controversies regarding treatment remain. Additionally, although ultrasound is a non-invasive examination without ionizing radiation, its role in the evaluation of cryptorchidism remains controversial. The main basis for treating cryptorchidism is orchidopexy, and the main view on treatment age is that treatment should be performed between 6 and 12 months after birth, but no more than 18 months after birth. The view on hormone therapy is still controversial because most scholars believe that early surgery is the key to treatment. There are many surgical treatment methods for cryptorchidism, including traditional open surgery and laparoscopic surgery, which provide satisfactory results. In conclusion, the treatment of undescended testis (UDT) had been largely standardized, apart from the treatment of high intra-abdominal testis (IAT), which remains a matter of debate.