Testicle undulation can be treated in time

Parents should have a testicle high of their newborn boy treated in time.

(24.08.2010) Infants who have an undescended testicle should be treated before their first birthday. This is currently pointed out by the German Society for Urology. Therefore, treatment should not be delayed, as otherwise there is an increased risk of secondary diseases.

In male infants, the testes may not migrate from the abdomen to the scrotum during growth. Doctors call this deformity undescended testicles (technical term: „Maldescensus testi“). The reason for this is that the testicle, triggered by cold weather, does not migrate into the scrotum but ends up in the inguinal canal at times. This phenomenon is not uncommon, in about 4 percent of male neonates, this malformation occurs. But within the first year before the first birthday, in most cases, the testicles automatically move into the right position. As the physicians of the German Society of Urology point out, self-regulation can only be expected until the third, maximum of the sixth month of life. "If this is not the case, we are talking about undescended testicles or testicular misalignment, which can occur on one or both sides." There is a distinction between a pendulum and sliding ankle as well as inguinal and abdominal testicles, "says Professor Dr. med. Raimund Stein, Chairman of the DGU working group Pediatric Urology.

At the latest then a treatment should take place. Because around one percent of all newborn children, the testes remain in the wrong position. If an undescended testicle is not treated in time, it may cause damage to the germ cells already in the second year of life of the child. The result could be infertility and increased risk of testicular cancer.

But how can parents recognize an undescended testicle?
When bathing or wrapping in a warm environment, parents can examine the child's testicle position. What is important is that a pleasant environment has been created so that the testicles do not retract due to cold or fears. If in doubt, a urologist should be consulted. A inguinal testicle can usually be palpated. An abdominal testicle can not be felt from the outside.

How is an undescended testicle treated?
A urologist specializing in pediatric urology examines the position of the testicles using various methods. The treatment depends on the type of undescended testicles. In most cases, a hormone therapy is used first. The hormone therapy is only moderately successful with 20 percent and it comes in a quarter of cases to a Rezidivhodenhochstand, but it may possibly have a positive impact on the germ cell cell development, the urology society. If therapy is unsuccessful, then surgery of the child is also considered. In most cases, the correction of the testicle elevation is achieved by the operation. The cause of an undescended testicle are probably disturbances in the sex hormone household. Therefore, in most cases, a hormone treatment is used first.

Current medical findings on testicular shedding will also be presented at the 62nd Annual Meeting of Urologists in Düsseldorf under the direction of DGU President Professor Dr. med. Wolfgang Weidner presented in Dusseldorf. The forum „Undescended testicles“ On September 23, 2010, the topic of "fertility" and "oncology" will be examined. From a pediatric neurological viewpoint, it will deal, among other things, with modern surgery techniques in the field of keyhole surgery. (Sb)

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Image: Sebastian Karkus