Surgical outcome of orchiopexy. I. Previously unoperated testes.

A total of 1209 undescended testes in 961 boys who had no previous surgery for this problem have been reviewed with particular regard to the outcome of surgery in relation to the pre-operative and intra-operative assessment of the position of the testis. A third of impalpable testes were found at operation in the abdomen, a third in the inguinal canal and a quarter in the superficial inguinal pouch; 1% of all testes and 7% of impalpable testes were absent; 96% of all testes reached the scrotum at operation and this figure included 69% of abdominal and 94% of canalicular testes. In all 24 testes were excised--7 of which were abdominal, 8 canalicular and 9 were in the superficial inguinal pouch. The generalisation that the higher the undescended testis before operation the poorer the result, does not always hold true.