Unilateral cryptorchidism corrected in prepubertal age: evaluation of sperm parameters, hormones, and antisperm antibodies in adult age

Objective: To evaluate whether prepubertal orchidopexy for unilateral cryptorchidism can reduce adult dysspermia. Design: Patient follow-up comparison with control groups. Setting: Surgical and endocrinologic sections of a children's hospital and a university infertility-care center. Patient(s): Seventy-one patients with unilateral cryptorchidism who underwent orchidopexy in prepubertal age (6.4 ± 2.8 years) were followed up as adults (20.0 ± 2.8 years). Main Outcome Measure(s): Patients underwent testicular examination and hormonal evaluation; 49 of these had semen analysis and antisperm antibody tests. Semen results were compared with those of two age-matched control groups: a group of 20 healthy, randomly selected subjects and a group of 20 patients operated on in postpubertal age for cryptorchidism. Result(s): Unilateral reduced testis size was found in 30.1% of patients, eight patients had a low LH level, eight had a low T level, and none had abnormal FSH values. Antisperm antibodies were found in 1 of 49 cases. Cluster analysis of sperm parameters showed that the mean values of patients were worse than those of the healthy controls but better than those of the subjects operated on in postpubertal age. Conclusion(s): This study indicates that prepubertal orchidopexy can give better results than postpubertal correction.