Structural and ultrastructural modifications of cryptorchid human testes.

Structural and ultrastructural modifications have been studied in cryptorchid testes. Biopsies were obtained from 15 patients between 2 and 39 years old, including 7 who had been treated previously by hormonal therapy without success. The most considerable observations were 1) the precocity of damage in germinal epithelium and in peritubular connective tissue, 2) the presence of frequent bilateral damage in cases of unilateral cryptorchidism and 3) the inefficacy of hormonal treatment (human chorionic gonadotropin) on the delay in maturation of tubular epithelium. These findings offer further information about the optimal time for surgical treatment of cryptorchidism, which in our opinion should be done when the patient is less than 2 years old.