Introduction: Cryptorchidism i.e. undescended testis (UDT) is the most common disorder of male endocrine glands in children. At birth, approximately 4.5 % of the boys have undescended testis.

The exact cause is poorly understood. Congenital, hereditary or hormonal imbalance appears to be related to gonadal maldevelopment. Despite successful relocation of the testis, long term sequels of cryptorchidism may occur, including infertility, sub-fertility, injury,, and malignancy.

Purpose/Aim: To study gross and histopathological changes in prepubertal and postpubertal cryptorchid testes and correlate with clinical presentation and outcome.

Study Design: A total of 75 testicular specimens were evaluated in the current study. Participants were categorized into prepubertal and postpubertal groups. The patient’s clinical and surgical details were retrieved. Histopathological diagnosis, gross and microscopic features of testicular and paratesticular tissues were recorded. The diagnosis of testicular regression syndrome was made according to Susan E. S. et al.

Results: The median age at presentation is 2 years in prepubertal and 29 years in postpubertal subjects. Secondary testicular parenchymal changes comprising thick capsule, atrophic testicular architecture, hyalinised basement membrane, abundant extracellular matrix, interstitial calcification, inflammation, edema, and fibrosis are more common in postpubertal subjects compared to prepubertal group (excluding TRS) and are statistically significant.

Conclusion: In >60% of the cases, the diagnosis of the undescended testis is made on clinical grounds.Mean tubular diameter (MTD) and tubal fertility index (TFI) decreases with the duration of the undescended testis and are independent predictors of future fertility, the severity of architectural change and abnormal spermatogenesis.

Keywords: Testis, cryptorchidism, undescended testis, atrophic testis, prepubertal testis, postpubertal testis

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Dr Pairooz Ahmed Khan

Registrar, Department of Urology, Central Security Hospital, Riyadh, KSA