Overview. An undescended testicle (cryptorchidism) is a testicle that hasn't moved into its proper position in the bag of skin hanging below the penis (scrotum) before birth. Usually just one testicle is affected, but about 10 percent of the time both testicles are undescended.
Cryptorchidism can be either bilateral (causing sterility) or unilateral, and inguinal or abdominal (or both).
If a testicle has not descended on its own by the time a baby is 6 months old, he should be checked by a pediatric specialist and have treatment if the condition is confirmed. This usually involves surgically repositioning the testicle into the scrotum.
Cryptorchidism is one of the most common congenital anomalies of the male genitalia, occurring in 1% of boys by the age of one year.
It ultimately results in complete sterility and unilateral cryptorchidism (ULC), in which one of the testes remains within the abdominal cavity and the other descends into the scrotal sac and remains normal.
Although cryptorchidism is often considered a mild malformation, it can seriously affect men's health, representing the best characterized risk factor for infertility and testicular cancer in adulthood.
Doctors usually diagnose undescended testicles during a physical exam performed immediately after birth or shortly thereafter. The doctor can usually feel, or palpate, the undescended testicles during the exam. However, in some boys, the undescended testicles may not be located in an area that can be felt.
(krip-TOR-kih-dih-zum) A condition in which one or both testicles fail to move from the abdomen, where they develop before birth, into the scrotum. Cryptorchidism may increase the risk for development of testicular cancer. Also called undescended testicles.
crypt·or·chi·dism A developmental defect marked by the failure of the testes to descend into the scrotum. [From New Latin cryptorchidismus, from Greek kruptorkhos, having undescended testicles : crypt(o)- + orkhis, orkhid-, testicle.] crypt·or′chid n.
Without surgical correction, an undescended testicle may descend during the first three months of life. Undescended testes may be brought into the scrotum with an orchiopexy to reduce risks. Cryptorchidism, hypospadias, testicular cancer, and poor semen quality make up testicular dysgenesis syndrome (TDS).
Undescended testicles, also known as cryptorchidism, is a fairly common and normally painless congenital condition in which one or both of a baby's testicles (testes) have not moved into the proper position.
(krip-TOR-kih-dih-zum) A condition in which one or both testicles fail to move from the abdomen, where they develop before birth, into the scrotum. Cryptorchidism may increase the risk for development of testicular cancer. Also called undescended testicles.
Corroborating data in the literature, cryptorchid- ism was found to be more frequent on the right- side testicle, which can be associated to the longer distance to be covered by the right testicle in its de- scent due to its more cranial position in the abdomen [4–7, 21, 27].
The combined findings of cryptorchidism and hypospadias often indicate the existence of an intersex state. Testicular maldescent and incomplete tubularization of the urethral plate occur in a spectrum with the severity of the 2 processes likely dependent on the degree of pathophysiology in the androgenic hormonal axis.
An undescended testicle is usually corrected with surgery. The surgeon carefully manipulates the testicle into the scrotum and stitches it into place (orchiopexy). This procedure can be done either with a laparoscope or with open surgery.
Cite this page: Dall C, Zynger DL. Cryptorchidism. PathologyOutlines.com website. https://www.pathologyoutlines.com/topic/testiscryptorchidism.html. Accessed January 21st, 2022.
Cite this page: Dall C, Zynger DL. Cryptorchidism. PathologyOutlines.com website. https://www.pathologyoutlines.com/topic/testiscryptorchidism.html. Accessed January 21st, 2022.
Here are all the ICD-10 codes for different forms of abdominal pain. Two quick qualifiers:
Since the codes for abdominal pain describe symptoms and not specific diagnoses, they are mostly used when a conclusive diagnosis has not yet been determined. These codes may also be used when the abdominal pain symptom occurs alongside a diagnosis that is not typically associated with it, but the code for the main diagnosis should always be recorded first.
ICD-10 codes refer to the codes from the 10th Revision of this classification system . These codes consist of three to seven characters (both letters and numbers).
ICD-10 officially replaced ICD-9 in the US in October of 2015. This was a response to the need for doctors to record more specific and accurate diagnoses in up-to-date terms. There are five times more ICD-10 codes than there were ICD-9 codes!
All codes begin with R10, the general code for abdominal and pelvic pain, and then up to three numbers can be added to that code for a more specific diagnosis.
This is not abnormal and is due to a muscle reflex in the scrotum. An ascending testicle, or acquired undescended testicle, that has "returned" to the groin and can't be easily guided by hand into the scrotum. If you notice any changes in your son's genitals or are concerned about his development, talk to your son's doctor.
Factors that might increase the risk of an undescended testicle in a newborn include: Low birth weight. Premature birth. Family history of undescended testicles or other problems of genital development. Conditions of the fetus that can restrict growth, such as Down syndrome or an abdominal wall defect.
ICD-10-CM provides additional code selections to describe newborn feeding conditions. The new alternatives include difficulty feeding at breast, overfeeding, regurgitation and rumination, slow feeding, underfeeding, other feeding problems of newborn, and feeding problem of newborn, unspecified.#N#Newborn is defined as the first 28 days of life. If the condition first presents after 28 days, it is not considered a newborn condition. The newborn codes may be used throughout the life of the patient, if the condition was noted as present during the first 28 days of life, and if the condition remains present after 28 days.
Child also has asthma episodes at nighttime occurring about once every three months. Several days prior to leaving the ranch, child began experiencing asthma episodes 2-3 times per day with difficulty in breathing, wheezing, and the feeling of heavy weight on his chest with progressive worsening.
Asthma2, child has albuterol inhaler. Average one attack a week, somewhat limiting in terms of physical play.
Parents have started holding baby about 30 minutes in sitting or upright position after being fed. Baby currently feeding every 2 hours for 10 – 15 minutes, alternating breast and bottle with some improvement. Per mom, baby has about 6 – 7 wet diapers a day and usually 2 BMs per day.
Asthma is the most common chronic childhood illness and leading cause of pediatric hospitalization:
Providers should refer infants with a history of cryptorchidism (detected at birth) who do not have spontaneous testicular descent by six months (corrected for gestational age) to an appropriate surgical specialist for timely evaluation. (Standard; Evidence Strength: Grade B)
Congenital cryptorchidism refers to testes that are extrascrotal from the time of birth. Acquired cryptorchid testes are intrascrotal at birth but subsequently identified in an extrascrotal position. Cryptorchid testes may be prescrotal (above or at the scrotal inlet), in the superficial inguinal pouch (distal and lateral to the external inguinal ring, anterior to the rectus muscle), at the external ring (or prepubic), canalicular (within the inguinal canal), ectopic (most commonly perineal) or abdominal ("peeping" through or proximal to the internal inguinal ring, or near the bladder, iliac vessels or kidney).
Cryptorchidism, or undescended testis (UDT), is defined as failure of a testis to descend into a scrotal position. This situation most commonly refers to a testis that is present but in an extrascrotal position, but may also lead to identification of an absent testis. In the latter situation, the testis is most commonly referred to as vanishing (or vanished); consistent with evidence suggesting that it was present initially but disappeared during development most likely due to spermatic cord torsion or vascular accident.
Three other studies were cited with a large number of cryptorchid cases conducted in European countries in which March is the month with peak incidence for cryptorchidism births. A fourth study in the United States of America found two peaks: one during September-November when a trough was observed in the other studies and a second smaller peak during March-May.
Prevalence/incidence of congenital v. acquired cryptorchidism. Although delayed diagnosis or treatment of cryptorchidism beyond the neonatal period is well-documented, the relative proportion of cases of true testicular ascent v. congenital cases that were not identified and/or referred early for care remains unclear. 6, 7, 8, 9 However, the preponderance of data strongly supports the existence of acquired cryptorchidism as a real phenomenon whose prevalence may be similar to that of congenital cryptorchidism. In a population-based health registry study, cryptorchidism was frequently diagnosed beyond the newborn period, and there were no age-specific differences in time between diagnosis and surgical correction. 10 Similarly, in birth cohort studies, 9, 11 suprascrotal testes were newly diagnosed in about 2% of boys examined longitudinally at intervals up to 10 years of age. Spontaneous descent of congenitally cryptorchid testes occurred in 35-43% of newborn boys followed longitudinally, usually prior to 3 months of age, 9, 11, 12 but re-ascent (recurrent cryptorchidism) may occur, and was reported in 22% of boys in a recent prospective study. 13 In a referral population, Wenzler et al. 14 documented spontaneous descent in 24% of boys presenting prior to age 4 months and none presenting at or after 6 months, or a total of 6.9% of boys presenting in the first year of life. The overall rate of spontaneous descent in this latter study may be low because the referral population likely excluded cases of early postnatal spontaneous descent.
Three studies conducted in Denmark 10,49-51 and one in the United States 52 examined the potential association between maternal alcohol consumption during pregnancy and the risk of cryptorchidism in a prospective fashion (see Appendix D). The disparity in outcome measure used (two used odds ratio, one risk ratio and the other hazard ratio) precludes quantitative aggregation but allows qualitative summarization. Alcohol consumption was found to be associated with transient cryptorchidism if the mother consumed five or more drinks per week, adjusted OR 3.10, 95% CI 1.05, 9.10). 49 This finding was not present among boys with persistent cryptorchidism, adjusted risk ratio 0.70 (95% CI 0.40, 1.30). 49 The third Danish study 50 aimed at assessing in more detail the association of binge drinking with persistent cryptorchidism rather than regular alcohol consumption did not find a statistical effect. The American study also failed to find an association. 52
Hackshaw et al. 46 performed a systematic review of articles published in English between 1959 and February 2010 regarding the association between maternal smoking in pregnancy and birth defects, including cryptorchidism. Study designs included cohort, case-control, and surveys. Eighteen studies provided data for cryptorchidism (8,753 cases and 98,627 controls). Overall, mothers who reported smoking during pregnancy were 13% more likely to have a child with cryptorchidism (OR=1.13, 95% CI 1.02, 1.25); although this estimate includes moderate heterogeneity I 2 =39%; individual study estimates ranged between OR=0.41 and OR=1.69. A second estimate was calculated based on 15 studies that adjusted for potential confounders. These 15 studies assessed 8,258 boys with cryptorchidism and 72,224 controls. The overall estimate was not different to the unadjusted estimate (OR=1.16, 95% CI 1.08, 1.25).