Follow-up examination of patients with undescended testicles.

A detailed follow-up examination was performed in 20 patients who had been operated upon 10 to 20 years ago because of uni- or bilateral cryptorchidism. The youngest patient was 18 years old at the time of the follow-up. The following values were analysed: primary and secondary sexual characteristics, the possible sexual disturbances, penile volume and the diameter of the testes, the serum testosterone, HCG, FSH, and LH level, sperm and immune peroxidase examination, and histologic study of both testes. The absence of sexual disturbances and the normal primary and secondary sexual characteristics were explained by the results of hormonal assays and these also showed that in adults there is no possibility to improve fertility by hormones. Early operation at 2 years of age at the latest is the only possibility to prevent in- or subfertility. The intervention prevents secondary damage to the retained and to the contralateral testicle. Immune peroxidase tests pointed to the possibility of therapy by immunosuppressive drugs.