Children with retractile testes should have a yearly examination until the age of puberty at which time the cremaster reflex lessens and the testes assume their normal scrotal position. Testis An ascending testicle has been described recently in which a previously documented descended scrotal testis later comes into an extrascrotal position. The affected testis feels tethered and cannot be manipulated into a dependent scrotal position. Ninety-eight percent of ascended testes are associated with a patent processus vaginalis and, therefore, a potential inguinal hernia and surgical correction is necessary. Vanished Testis A vanished testis describes the child with a nonpalpable undescended testicle who upon examination may have a small hard pea sized structure in the affected hemiscrotum which represents an atrophic calcified testicular remnant.
Treatment includes surgical exploration and excision of the testicular remnant.
Often laparoscopy is used to search for an intraabdominal testis and at laparoscopy a blind ending spermatic vessel and vas deferens can be seen entering the internal inguinal ring. Vanished Testis Disorders of the Penis Hypospadias Hypospadias is a common anomaly occurring in one in two hundred and fifty male children. Environmental pollutants with estrogen like affects have been implicated, but not proven in the cause of hypospadias. Hypospadias occurs as a result of incomplete fusion of the urethral groove producing a urethral meatus located in an aberrant location on the ventral surface of the penis. The meatus can be located anywhere along the ventral penile shaft from the meatus distally to the perineum in the most severe cases of proximal hypospadias.