Diagnostic laparoscopy and management of the impalpable testis--a review of 10 years' practice at a non-paediatric specialist centre

Abdominal Cryptorchidism with Complete Dissociation between the Testis and Deferent Duct Mimicking Testicular Regression Syndrome

Complete separation of the deferent duct from the epididymis in cryptorchid testes residing in the abdomen is an extremely rare variant of developmental disorders of the testis and epididymis. Available sources mention only three clinical cases similar to our observations. The unique anatomic aspects of this disorder hamper the correct diagnosis of an intra-abdominal cryptorchid testis. Two boys with nonpalpable left-sided cryptorchidism underwent diagnostic laparoscopy, revealing an intra-abdominally located testis. The epididymis was completely separated from the deferent duct, and the epididymis and testis were supplied by testicular vessels. Exploration of the inguinal canal revealed blind-ending deferent ducts. The testis was brought down through the inguinal canal and fixed in the scrotum in both boys. The follow-up examination at 6 months revealed no signs of testicular atrophy or malposition of the testis in either patient. With our observations in mind, the exclusive use of a transscrotal or transinguinal approach as the initial surgical exploration in the treatment of patients with nonpalpable forms of cryptorchidism may be inappropriate. Careful laparoscopic examination of the abdominal cavity is indispensable in children with suspected testicular regression syndrome or nonpalpable forms of cryptorchidism.

Management of the undescended testis in children: An American Pediatric Surgical Association Outcomes and Evidence Based Practice Committee Systematic Review

PURPOSE

Management of undescended testes (UDT) has evolved over the last decade. While urologic societies in the United States and Europe have established some guidelines for care, management by North American pediatric surgeons remains variable. The aim of this systematic review is to evaluate the published evidence regarding the treatment of (UDT) in children.

METHODS

A comprehensive search strategy and the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) guidelines were utilized to identify, review, and report salient articles. Five principal questions were asked regarding imaging standards, medical treatment, surgical technique, timing of operation, and outcomes. A literature search was performed from 2005 to 2020.

RESULTS

A total of 825 articles were identified in the initial search, and 260 were included in the final review.

CONCLUSIONS

Pre-operative imaging and hormonal therapy are generally not recommended except in specific circumstances. Testicular growth and potential for fertility improves when orchiopexy is performed before one year of age. For a palpable testis, a single incision approach is preferred over a two-incision orchiopexy. Laparoscopic orchiopexy is associated with a slightly lower testicular atrophy rate but a higher rate of long-term testicular retraction. One and two-stage Fowler-Stephens orchiopexy have similar rates of testicular atrophy and retraction. There is a higher relative risk of testicular cancer in UDT which may be lessened by pre-pubertal orchiopexy.

Clinical effect of minimally invasive surgery for inguinal cryptorchidism

Background

The purpose of this study was to investigate the clinical effect of minimally invasive surgery for inguinal cryptorchidism.

Methods

The patients were divided into the minimally invasive surgery group (n = 100) and the traditional surgery group (n = 58). In the minimally invasive surgery group, patients with low inguinal cryptorchidism (n = 54) underwent surgery with a transscrotal incision, and patients with high inguinal cryptorchidism (n = 46) underwent laparoscopic surgery.

Results

There was no difference in the hospital stay duration or cost between the minimally invasive surgery group and the traditional surgery group (P > 0.05). As for the operative time, minimally invasive surgery of low inguinal cryptorchidism was shorter than traditional surgery (P = 0.033), while minimally invasive surgery of high inguinal cryptorchidism was comparable to traditional surgery (P = 0.658). Additionally, there were no cases of testicular atrophy, testicular retraction, inguinal hernia or hydrocele in either group. There was no significant difference in the incidence of poor wound healing between the two groups (P > 0.05). Although there was no significant difference in the incidence of scrotal hematoma between the two groups (P > 0.05), the incidence in the minimally invasive surgery group was higher than that in the traditional surgery group.

Conclusions

Minimally invasive surgery including a transscrotal incision for low inguinal cryptorchidism and laparoscopic surgery for high inguinal cryptorchidism is as safe and effective as traditional surgery, and could also provide a good cosmetic effect for children.

The Nonpalpable Testis: A Narrative Review

PURPOSE

While the nonpalpable testis represents a small portion of all cryptorchid testes, it remains a clinical challenge for pediatric urologists. Controversy exists surrounding the best evaluation and management of this entity. In this review we update what is known about the nonpalpable testis, including the etiology, preoperative evaluation and best surgical management as well as novel techniques and ongoing controversies.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

We searched PubMed® and MEDLINE® from January 2000 to January 2017 using relevant key terms. Of 367 articles 115 were considered for inclusion based on a priori design. Using a narrative review format, an update on the evaluation and management of the nonpalpable testis including novel concepts and techniques was synthesized.

RESULTS

The nonpalpable testis should be evaluated by physical examination only. Imaging is not indicated for routine cases. The optimal surgical approach and technique remain debatable but several novel techniques have been described. Due to the rarity of the nonpalpable testis, randomized controlled trials and other quality comparisons are difficult. Therefore, management remains controversial.

CONCLUSIONS

Evaluation and management of the nonpalpable testis remain difficult, and some aspects are still debated. Future research should focus on multi-institutional collaborative trials to determine the optimal operative management.

Is inguinal orchidopexy still a current procedure in the treatment of intraabdominal testis in the era of laparoscopic surgery?

PURPOSE

To report our experience in surgical management of nonpalpable intraabdominal testis (NPIT) by inguinal orchidopexy without division of the spermatic vessels.

METHODS

We reviewed the records of NPIT patients who underwent orchidopexy between 2012 and 2015. All patients were evaluated ultrasonographically. When the testis was not detected ultrasonographically, a laparoscopic exploration was performed. If the testis was found on laparoscopy, surgery was resumed through an inguinal incision. A follow-up was performed at 1week, 1, 3 and 6months.

RESULTS

Twenty-one NPIT patients were treated, mean age 21.0±11.7months. Ultrasound identified 15 cases of NPIT (71%); diagnostic laparoscopy was performed in 6 (29%). All patients underwent an inguinal orchidopexy. At 1week, four testes were in a high scrotal position. At 6months follow-up, one testis was in a high scrotal position and one retracted up to the external inguinal ring. No atrophy was recorded.

CONCLUSIONS

Despite several attempts to find a surgical technique without any significant complications, all described procedures failed to meet the target. In our experience, inguinal orchidopexy is a safe, reliable and successful surgical procedure for the management of NPIT. It should be preferred to a technique requiring vascular division, burdened with a higher incidence of atrophy.

TYPE OF STUDY

Treatment study.

LEVELS OF EVIDENCE

Case series with no comparison group.

What is the ideal surgical approach for intra-abdominal testes? A systematic review

There is controversy regarding the ideal surgical management of intra-abdominal testes (IAT) to preserve fertility; we conducted a systematic review to address this problem. We performed a comprehensive electronic search of CENTRAL, MEDLINE, EMBASE, and CINAHL from 2008 to September 2014 (the date range was limited due to an abundance of literature), as well as reference lists of included studies. Two researchers screened all studies for inclusion, and quality assessed each relevant study using AMSTAR for systematic reviews (SRs), Cochrane 'Risk of bias' tool for randomized controlled trials (RCTs), and MINORS for non-randomized studies. We identified two relevant SRs and 29 non-randomized studies. Due to the heterogeneity of the data, meta-analysis was not possible. Ultrasound and magnetic resonance imaging are insufficient for identification or localization of IAT; laparoscopic or surgical exploration is necessary. Primary orchiopexy is effective for low IAT, and Fowler-Stephens orchiopexy (FSO) is effective for high IAT. There is no clear benefit of one- vs. two-stage FSO, or of open vs. laparoscopic technique. Several alternative or modified techniques also show promise. RCTs are needed to confirm the validity of these findings, and to assess long-term outcomes.

[Videosurgery in infancy and childhood: state of the art. Experience with 1408 procedures in the Instituto da Criança "Pedro de Alcântara"]

The videosurgery in Pediatric Surgery has a large field of applications unfortunately still underexplored. There are few services that routinely use this techinic , and Brazilian articles published are scarce. The Institute of Children's Hospital of the Faculty of Medicine, University of São Paulo, has been using for fifteen years the videosurgery which is now the first choice of treatment, among other diseases as gastroesophageal reflux, the cholecystolithiasis, the nonpalpable undescended testicles and megaesophagus. In this article we report our experience in laparoscopic pediatric surgery, acquired with 1408 surgical procedures, to present this useful method, and beneficial to a large number of situations and still underused in Pediatric Surgery.

Diagnostic laparoscopy for the management of impalpable testes

PURPOSE

Controversy exists regarding the best approach to impalpable testes. We determined the usefulness of diagnostic laparoscopy for the management of impalpable testes.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Between 2000 and 2008, 86 patients with a mean age of 34 months underwent diagnostic laparoscopy. An inguinal canal exploration was performed in all cases, except in patients in whom the internal spermatic vessels terminated intraperitoneally with a blind end.

RESULTS

The undescended testis was right-sided in 24 patients (27.9%), left-sided in 47 patients (54.7%), and bilateral in 15 patients (17.4%). Three patients (3.5%) had bilateral impalpable testes. The vas and vessels traversed the internal ring in 51 of 89 impalpable testes (57.3%); 20 (22.5%) were localized intraperitoneally, and 18 (20.2%) were diagnosed as vanishing testes. Open orchiopexies were performed on 24 testes (27.0%) and orchiectomies were performed on 43 nubbin testes (48.3%). After a mean follow-up period of 30 months, 12 of the 14 testes (85.7%) were viable following open conventional orchiopexy, compared with 6 of the 10 testes (60%) following a 1-stage Fowler-Stephens orchiopexy.

CONCLUSIONS

Diagnostic laparoscopy is a very helpful and minimally invasive technique in the diagnosis of impalpable testes, especially when preoperative ultrasonography is not sufficiently informative.