Thomas Annandale and the first report of successful orchiopexy.

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.