Cryptorchidism is the absence of at least one teste from the scrotum, failing to descend into the proper position before birth. It is one of the most prevalent congenital abnormalities of male genitalia. Currently, testicular biopsy is the commonly adopted method for the diagnosis of infertility for these patients. The mean number of germ cells per tubular transverse section (G/T) will be measured from the removed portion of testis during orchidopexy which moves undescended testis into the scrotum; and cryptorchid boys are more likely to have reduced number of germ cells. However, the procedure introduces risks of complications with only 20-25% of predictability. It gives rise to the development of alternative diagnostic method. A Japanese research team studied the pre-treatment testicular conditions, serum hormone levels and G/T of 145 cryptorchid boys aged 7-9. Low inhibin B/follicle-stimulating hormones (FSH) and anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH)/FSH ratios plus high FSH were found to predict impaired G/T in bilateral cryptorchid boys aged ≤24 months. The findings suggest a novel, non-invasive diagnostic method for infertility that may lead to a change in clinical guidelines or practice for these patients.

References

1. Kato T, et al. Urol. J. 2022;207:1-8.