Thomas Annandale and the first report of successful orchiopexy

Abstract

Purpose: We investigate the surgeon and factors behind the first report of successful orchiopexy.

Materials and methods: We reviewed the first reports of orchiopexy, and the work and writings concerning Thomas Annandale and the time in which he practiced.

Results: Annandale was a surgeon in Edinburgh, Scotland, in the late 19th century. In 1877 he successfully brought down an ectopic testicle in a 3-year-old boy. This first reported successful orchiopexy was due in large part to Lister's antiseptic technique.

Conclusions: Annandale performed the first successful orchiopexy by integrating the surgical and antiseptic ideas of his predecessors and contemporaries.