Abstract

Objective: The aim of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of laparoscopy in paediatric patients with nonpalpable testes (NPT). Those testicular cases not found in physical examination and in cases where the testicle cannot be clearly detected by ultrasonography. The patients were evaluated and operated by a single surgeon.

Method: Between 2010 and 2019, 28 patients with NPT, mean age 29 months, (range 8 to 132 months) were treated. 31 testes were evaluated.

Results: According to the laparoscopic findings 3 groups of testes were identified: Vanishing testis (n=23), low abdominal testis (<2 cm to the internal ring) (n=3). Inguinal orchidopexy was performed in 5 testicles of the lower intrabadominal. Fowler stephens (FS) 1 surgery was performed in 2 patients with high intraabdominal location. Laparoscopic orchidopexy surgery was performed on the other who had cross testicular ectopia. In the examination of the pathology results of the vanishing testis patients, atrophic testicular tubule structure was seen in 1 biopsy, epididymal tissue in 3 biopsies, ductus structure in 3 biopsies, and both ductus and epididymal tissue in 2 biopsies. Testis, epididymis or ductus tissue were not detected in 14 other biopsies.

Conclusion: Laparoscopy reduces the number of laparotomy in children with NPT. Especially, it enables easy diagnosis and treatment of a diagnosis such as cross testicular ectopia. Investigation of laparoscopic ectopic testicle is both a diagnostic method and a therapeutically orchidopexy method.

Atıf vermek için: Akova F. Ele gelmeyen testislerde laparoskopi: Tek cerrahın deneyimi. Çoc. Cer. Derg. 2020;34(2):58-64.