Ascent of the testis revisited: Fact not fiction

Testiculaire microlithiasis bij jongens [Testicular microlithiasis in boys]

In three boys aged 15, 9, and 10 years respectively scrotal ultrasound revealed testicular microlithiasis (TM). Two boys were free of symptoms and one suffered from testicular pain. TM is characterized by multiple echogenic foci within the seminiferous tubules with no acoustic shadowing. The pathophysiology is largely unknown. In adult men, TM...

Testicular microlithiasis in a 2-year-old boy with pseudoxanthoma elasticum

Pseudoxantoma elasticum (PXE) is a rare chromosomal disorder that results in mineralization of elastic fibers, especially in the skin, eye, and cardiovascular system. Recently, PXE has been associated with testicular microlithiasis (TM),1 which itself might be associated with testicular malignancy.2 Here we report on a 9-year-old boy with PXE...

Reduction in the number of orchidopexies for cryptorchidism after recognition of acquired undescended testis and implementation of expectative policy

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...

Maternal pregnancy serum level of heptachlor epoxide, hexachlorobenzene, and beta-hexachlorocyclohexane and risk of cryptorchidism in offspring

Prenatal exposure to environmental endocrine disrupters has been postulated to cause adverse effects on male reproductive health. Exposure to organochlorine pesticides with anti-androgenic and estrogenic potency has been shown to interfere with the sex-hormone-dependent process of testicular descent in animal models. We examined the relation...