Screening for mutations of the androgen receptor gene in patients with isolated cryptorchidism.

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the occurrence of mutations of androgen receptor (AR) gene in patients with isolated cryptorchidism.

DESIGN

Controlled clinical study.

SETTING

Yamagata University Hospital, Yamagata and Tokyo Electric Power Company Hospital, Tokyo, Japan.

PATIENT(S): Patients with isolated cryptorchidism (n = 48) and a control group of men with normal phenotype (n = 20).

INTERVENTION(S): Blood (lymphocyte DNA).

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): Screening of the AR gene in exons 1-8 using single-strand conformational polymorphism analysis.

RESULT(S): No abnormal band patterns were detected in patients with cryptorchidism or in control subjects within the eight exons of the AR gene.

CONCLUSION(S): AR gene alterations appear to be an unlikely cause of isolated cryptorchidism.