Undescended testes

(As the photograph below shows, it is possible to mobilise some testes through the scrotum itself thus avoiding any scar on the abdomen. See paper published by me on this subject in Urology 1997, 49: 662-5.).

How common are they?

About 4% of all boys are born with an undescended testes, however by the age of 1 year only 0.8% still have this problem.

Complications
 
Undescended testes do not form sperms well unless they are in the cold environs of the scrotum. There is also a 6-8 fold increase in development of malignancy later in life.

Surgery

The recommended age for surgery is 18 months, the surgery itself takes 30-45 mins and children are sent home the same day.

What are retractile testes?

A lot of young boys simply have a retractile testis, where the testis sometimes gets pulled up because of muscular contraction. It is vital not to label these as undescended testes and subject them to an unnecessary surgery.