Testicular descent: a hypothesis and review of current controversies.

Descent of the testis into the scrotum occurs by a complex multifactorial process involving the normal development of the testis, the hormonal actions of insulin like growth factor 3, testosterone, a intact hypothalamic pituitary testicular axis, the patent processus vaginalis, gubernacular outgrowth and regression and intraabdominal pressure. The paper reviews the key components of testicular descent, the current hypothesis on how testicular descent occurs and the controversies surrounding this hypothesis.