Transection Versus Ligation of Internal Spermatic Vessels in First Stage Laparoscopic Fowler-Stephens Orchidopexy for Intra-abdominal Testis. Randomized Study

Cryptorchidism is one of the most commin congenital deformities of male newborns, known as undescended testis (UDT). The incidence ranges according to gestational age, affecting 1.0-4.6% of full-term infants and 1.1-45% of preterm infants. (UDT) is a condition in which the testicles are not found at the base of the scrotum. Studies have shown that the undescended testicle has a potential of spontaneous descent during the first 3 months of life and is less likely to do so after 6 months of age. In almost 20% of cases the undescended testes are not palpable, increasing the difficulty of investigations and treatment, and 30% of these cases are also intra-abdominal. If UDT left untreated, it can cause histological alterations of the testicular cells and increasing of the risks of infertility.

As of treatment of UDT, laparoscopic surgery is ,for most surgeons, the preferred technique. Several techniques have been described for laparoscopic orchidopexy. After spermatic vascular transection, single-stage testicular descent fixing was carried out, as Fowler and Stephens (FSO) first described in 1959. Since 1996, a two-stage laparoscopic Fowler-Stephens technique involving preservation of the gubernacular vessels and performing an entirely laparoscopic second stage. The second stage is presently performed 6-9 months after the first.

Recently, laparoscopic FSO has been adopted to treat high-level IATs, for its minimally invasive wound and acceptable success rate.