Growth patterns in young men treated for undescended testes in childhood

Abstract

Testicular maldescent may be caused by endocrinological deficiency in some cases, and, on the other hand, cryptorchidism itself may have an injurious effect on testicular development and function. The purpose was to examine whether testicular maldescent is associated with abnormal growth in various body dimensions in otherwise healthy males treated for the malformation during childhood. A total of 76 young men, 16-30 years of age, who were treated for undescended testes at an age ranging from 10 months to 13 years, were examined by measuring various body dimensions. Previously cryptorchid men were slightly taller than age-matched controls, except for those with bilateral cryptorchidism treated preoperatively with hCG. The most prominent finding was a high bihumeral to bicristal ratio. In addition, testicular volume was positively correlated to both the bicristal and bihumeral width, as well as to the sitting and total height.