The state of the testicle and the epididymis associated with exstrophy of the bladder in undescended testes.

In undescended tests, the large number of testicular dysplasias/hypoplasias and of that of the fusion abnormalities of the epididymis, and the joint occurrence of the two, can achieve even 50%. The frequency of the above anomalies were studied in undescended testes associated with exstrophy of the bladder. Bilateral undescended testes were observed in 5 out of 26 boys born with vesical exstrophy. In 3 of them bilateral orchiopexy had already been performed. In 5 of the 6 operations intact testicles and intact epididymis were found. Fusion abnormality was observed only in one case, but the testicle was intact also in that case. This can be attributed to the fact that in exstrophy of the bladder, the testicles have failed to descend not due to the insufficient effect of fetal androgen, but due to anatomical causes. This is also supported by the fact that where the disorder of descension has been caused by mechanical factors, there was a much lower ratio of testicular-epididymal fusion abnormality.