What is cryptorchidism in children?

As a parent of a baby boy, you must be alert to a disease after the baby is born - cryptorchidism. Cryptorchidism in children not only affects the gonadal development of male babies, but may also lead to infertility in adulthood. What is cryptorchidism in children? How much do parents know about cryptorchidism in children? Today, I would like to talk to you about some symptoms of cryptorchidism in children and related treatment methods.

1. Symptoms

Cryptorchidism can occur unilaterally or bilaterally, with unilateral occurrence being more common. In patients with unilateral cryptorchidism, the incidence rate on the right side is slightly higher than that on the left side. However, even with bilateral cryptorchidism, an appropriate amount of androgen is still produced to maintain the development of male secondary sexual characteristics and rarely affect sexual behavior in adulthood.

Patients with cryptorchidism without complications generally have no symptoms. The main manifestations are flat scrotum on the affected side, asymmetry of the left and right scrotum in unilateral cases, and hollow and sunken scrotum in bilateral cryptorchids. If complicated with inguinal oblique hernia, a lump will appear on the affected side after activity, accompanied by bloating and discomfort. In severe cases, paroxysmal abdominal pain, vomiting, and fever may occur. If the cryptorchidism is torsion, such as it is located in the inguinal canal or external ring, the main symptom is a local painful mass, there is no normal testicle in the scrotum on the affected side, and the gastrointestinal symptoms are mild.

If the hidden testis is located inside the abdomen, the pain after torsion is in the lower abdomen near the inner ring. The symptoms and signs of right-sided internal hidden testis torsion are quite similar to those of acute appendicitis. The main difference is that the tenderness point of internal hidden testis torsion is lower and closer to the inner ring.

2. Treatment

There are two methods usually used to treat cryptorchidism: endocrine therapy and surgical treatment.

Endocrine therapy mainly uses gonadotropin. If the patient has simple cryptorchidism and congenital testicular dysplasia, human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG) or gonadotropin-releasing hormone (LHRH) can be tried before the age of 3 to promote the secretion of the androgen testosterone and the maturation of germ cells, so that the testicles can descend on their own.

The purpose of surgical treatment is to restore the normal physiological environment of the testicles, keep the testicles at normal temperature in the scrotum, maintain the patient's fertility, and minimize complications such as malignant transformation. It is currently recommended that surgery be performed between 1 and 2 years of age. Since the risk of malignant transformation of abdominal cryptorchidism is four times that of normal testicles, abdominal cryptorchidism should be treated surgically as early as possible.

Infancy is one of the critical periods for the growth and development of a boy's testicles. Therefore, parents should pay attention to giving their boys testicular examinations from an early age. If symptoms of cryptorchidism are found in children, treatment should be sought early to avoid adverse effects on the baby's future reproductive function. Premature infants are a high-risk group for cryptorchidism. If the baby boy in the family is a premature infant, parents should pay more attention to it.