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Reduction in the number of orchidopexies for cryptorchidism after recognition of acquired undescended testis and implementation of expectative policy
Author(s) -
Hack WWM,
Van Der VoortDoedens LM,
Sijstermans K,
Meijer RW,
Pierik FH
Publication year - 2007
Publication title -
acta pædiatrica
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.772
H-Index - 115
eISSN - 1651-2227
pISSN - 0803-5253
DOI - 10.1111/j.1651-2227.2007.00302.x
Subject(s) - medicine , period (music) , reduction (mathematics) , university hospital , pediatrics , gynecology , surgery , physics , geometry , mathematics , acoustics
Background: Since the mid‐1990s, acquired undescended testis has gradually been recognised as a separate entity for which the efficacy of prepubertal surgery has not been univocally been demonstrated. Therefore, in our hospital, orchidopexy was no longer routinely performed for acquired undescended testis. Aim: To investigate the effect of expectative policy in our hospital on the number of orchidopexies. Methods: Two 5‐year periods were compared. Period A (1991–1995), in which undescended testis was treated surgically, and period B (2000–2004), in which prepubertal orchidopexy in our hospital was no longer performed for acquired undescended testis. In addition, a comparison was made between the percentage reduction in hospital and national figures. Results: In period B, the number of orchidopexies in our hospital was reduced by 61.8% (from 387 to 148), mainly in the age group >6 years. Nationally, during the same period, the number of orchidopexies decreased only by 2.4% (from 18 024 to 17 591). Conclusion: The results of this study confirm that recognition of acquired undescended testis is crucial for reducing the high number of (late) orchidopexies.