Scrotal incision orchiopexy for undescended testes with or without a patent processus vaginalis

PURPOSE: Bianchi and Squire first described scrotal incision orchiopexy as an alternative to the traditional inguinal approach in the 1980s. The goal of this study was to review our series of scrotal orchiopexies to evaluate operative times, success rates and complications in patients with and without a patent processus vaginalis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 121 scrotal incision orchiopexies were performed in 103 patients with palpable undescended testes between November 2002 and January 2006. This technique involves manipulation of the testis down to the scrotum so that it is secured between the thumb and index finger as fixation is performed. Charts were retrospectively reviewed to assess operative times as well as position and size of the testes at followup. RESULTS: Patient age ranged from 6 months to 13 years (mean 4.5 years). The processus vaginalis was patent in 75 testes (62%). A total of 121 testes (100%) were successfully placed within the scrotum using a single incision. Operative times ranged from 7 to 36 minutes (mean 18.9). There were no cases of testicular atrophy or ascent, hernia or hydrocele formation with followup that ranged from 6 months to 1 year. The only complications were 4 wound infections (3.3%), which were successfully treated with antibiotics. CONCLUSIONS: The scrotal incision technique is an underused method of orchiopexy regardless of patency of the processus vaginalis. Shorter operative times, comparable success and complication rates, and a more cosmetically appealing result compared to the traditional inguinal approach make scrotal orchiopexy an attractive alternative.     

Split-thickness skin graft for the management of concealed penis

PURPOSE: We review the use of split-thickness skin grafting in children with concealed penis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Medical records were retrospectively reviewed for all patients younger than 20 years seen at our institution from 1995 to 2003 with a diagnosis of concealed penis. Patients were separated into "primary" and "secondary" groups based on the cause of concealment. Primary factors were prominent prepubic fat pad, dysgenetic dartos fascia or both. Secondary factors were post-circumcision phimosis and overzealous circumcision. RESULTS: A total of 26 patients 1 month to 19 years old were treated. In the primary group of 23 patients 11 underwent lysis of dartos fascia. Four of these 11 patients had insufficient skin, and split-thickness skin grafting was necessary to resurface the penile shaft. Five of the patients underwent excision of the fat pad only, and 2 underwent excision of the fat pad and lysis of fascia. Five patients are being observed. Of the 3 patients in the secondary group 1 underwent manual reduction of post-circumcision phimosis, 1 underwent scrotal flaps and 1 is being observed. Followup ranged from 2 weeks to 46 months (mean 13 months). Of 20 surgically repaired patients 19 (95%) had an excellent cosmetic result, were satisfied with penile length and reported no voiding complaints. CONCLUSIONS: The surgical approach for correcting concealed penis varies, depending on the cause. Of our 26 patients 4 (15%) had insufficient penile skin to resurface the penile shaft. In these select children split-thickness skin grafting provided a good cosmetic appearance and functional result.     

Vasovasostomy in the convoluted vas deferens: indications and outcomes

PURPOSE: We examined the indications for vasovasostomy (VV) in the convoluted vas deferens as well as the outcome of this procedure. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed the indications and outcomes of all vasectomy reversals performed in the convoluted vas deferens (CVV). Indications for CVV were clear fluid with or without sperm, motile or nonmotile sperm, or sperm parts. Patency was defined as motile sperm in the ejaculate postoperatively. Pregnancy data were calculated based on natural pregnancy occurring within year 1 postoperatively. RESULTS: A total of 48 patients underwent bilateral CVV (42) or unilateral CVV (6) when there was an unreconstructable/atrophic contralateral side. Average patient age was 39 years. Average age of the female partner was 30 years. The average obstructive interval was 10 years. The patency rate was 88% (38 of 43 cases). The natural pregnancy rate was 48% (15 of 31 cases). There was a significant difference in the patency rate in patients with sperm or sperm parts compared to those with clear fluid alone (p = 0.015). There was no difference in the pregnancy rate. CONCLUSIONS: Vasovasostomy in the CVV is a technically more difficult procedure than standard VV. Nevertheless, postoperative results are typically comparable to those obtained via VV and superior to those of epididymovasostomy in many cases. Therefore, we recommend CVV using the same indications as for standard VV in the straight portion of the vas deferens. However, consideration for epididymovasostomy should be given when no sperm are seen in the vasal fluid intraoperatively.     

Phalloplasty and urethroplasty in children with penile agenesis: preliminary report

PURPOSE: Female gender has been assigned to 46,XY newborns affected by aphallia, possibly resulting in subsequent gender dysphoria. Prenatal and postnatal effects of the androgens on the brain and sexual orientation cannot be modified later. Therefore, patients affected by aphallia should be raised as males. Because definitive forearm flap phalloplasty is generally not recommended before puberty, we performed a preliminary penile reconstruction during childhood in 4 patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Four patients with aphallia who had no sex reassignment at birth were treated at age 9, 17 and 36 months, and 12 years in a single operation. The urethral channel was dissected through an anterior-sagittal-transanorectal approach, and then phalloplasty and urethroplasty were carried out using an abdominal skin flap and a bladder/buccal mucosa free graft. RESULTS: Immediate postoperative outcome was excellent in all the patients. One patient had excellent functional and cosmetic results at 5 years, while 2 had a partial dorsal urethral dehiscence resulting in an epispadiac urethra at 2 years, and 1 had necrosis of the distal urethra and was voiding through a scrotal urethrostomy at 9 months postoperatively. Phalloplasty survived and provided an adequate male appearance in all patients. CONCLUSIONS: Opposite gender should not be assigned in patients affected by penile agenesis, who are better raised according to their karyotype and hormonal production. Definitive phalloplasty in adults may achieve good results. Nevertheless, this procedure is generally performed in postpubertal boys and it is not easily available everywhere. Therefore, we believe that social and psychological concerns justified this type of phalloplasty as a palliative preliminary procedure in 3 of our patients. In those countries where definitive forearm phalloplasty is not available our method may also be justified in older children (as in 1 of our patients) as an attempt at a definitive procedure.     

Ectopic and undescended testes: 2 variants of a single congenital anomaly?

PURPOSE: We compared pathological findings in ectopic and undescended testis to determine whether the pathological evidence supports the hypothesis that the 2 conditions are variants of the same congenital anomaly. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We identified 24 boys with ectopic testis not in the superficial inguinal pouch of Denis Browne. Seven boys were excluded from study due to unavailable clinical records for 3, contralateral undescended testis in 2 and inadequate biopsy specimens in 2. Pathological findings of ectopic testis in the remaining 17 patients were compared with those of age matched patients with unilateral undescended testis. Total germ cell count, testicular volume, patency of the processus vaginalis and epididymal abnormalities were compared. Data were analyzed using the Wilcoxon matched pairs signed rank and Fisher's exact tests. RESULTS: No difference was noted in total germ cell count (p = 0.33), testicular volume (p = 0.1475), processus vaginalis patency (p = 0.0854) or epididymal abnormalities (p = 1.00) in the 2 groups. Of the 24 boys (8%) with ectopic testis 2 also had a contralateral undescended testis. CONCLUSIONS: Similar pathological findings in ectopic and undescended testes as well as the association of ectopic testis with a contralateral undescended testis suggest that ectopic and undescended testes are variants of the same congenital anomaly. Thus, boys with ectopic testis may have an increased incidence of subfertility and testicular malignancy. This spectrum of abnormal testicular position, and its range of pathological conditions and complications may appropriately be called the undescended testis sequence.     

The predictive value of inguinal herniography for the diagnosis and treatment of cryptorchidism

PURPOSE: We evaluated the role of a patent processus vaginalis for cryptorchidism as well as inguinal herniography as a predictor of the efficacy of human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG) treatment. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We studied 244 boys with unilateral and 66 with bilateral cryptorchidism. All patients underwent inguinal herniography and received HCG. Nonresponders to treatment subsequently underwent orchiopexy, when processus vaginalis status, testicular position and epididymal characteristics were assessed. RESULTS: HCG was effective for 139 of 281 testes (49.5%) with an obliterated and 0 of 95 with a patent processus vaginalis on herniography. We further evaluated herniography in accordance with orchiopexy findings of persistent unilateral and bilateral cryptorchidism in 206 boys (237 testes) after HCG. Herniography findings of processus vaginalis morphology revealed a close correlation with that reported by the surgeon after orchiopexy (p<0.000005). The incidence of a patent processus vaginalis increased as testicular position became more caudal. The processus vaginalis was obliterated in all cases of anorchia. The incidence of more severe epididymal anomalies decreased as the testicular position became more caudal. Epididymal abnormalities were more common when the processus vaginalis was patent. CONCLUSIONS: Pretreatment herniography assessment of processus vaginalis morphology is of prognostic value for predicting the efficacy of hormone treatment, the presence or absence of testes when they are nonpalpable and future fertility.     

Diagnostic findings from testis fine needle aspiration mapping in obstructed and nonobstructed azoospermic men

PURPOSE: Although helpful for defining extratesticular obstruction, the testis biopsy offers limited information on nonobstructive azoospermic testes. Guided by diagnostic biopsies, testis sperm extraction procedures fail in 25% to 50% of patients with nonobstructive azoospermia, largely because it is clinically difficult to know where sperm are located. To provide a more complete assessment of spermatogenesis in nonobstructive azoospermic patients and to simplify the confirmation of sperm production in men with obstruction, we use a systematic, fine needle aspiration "mapping" procedure. We summarize the diagnostic findings in a series of azoospermic men. MATERIALS AND METHODS: From 118 azoospermic infertile men (22 with obstructed and 96 with nonobstructed azoospermia) fine needle aspiration data were used to generate location specific, sperm frequency maps for obstructed and nonobstructive azoospermic testes to determine if "sperm rich" locations existed. RESULTS: Fine needle aspiration map analysis revealed that all aspiration locations from obstructed cases showed sperm. In men with nonobstructive azoospermia, sperm was identified in the right testis in 134 of 652 (20.5%) and in the left testis in 151 of 716 (21.1%) separate aspirations. Rates of sperm detection among various intratesticular sites were not statistically different. In 27.1% of cases the fine needle aspiration map found sperm in men with sperm negative biopsies. The likelihood of heterogeneity in fine needle aspiration sperm findings was 25% within individual nonobstructive azoospermic testes and 19.2% between testis sides. At post-procedure followup of 88 patients (74%), no clinical or surgical complications were observed. CONCLUSIONS: Testis fine needle aspiration mapping is a simple, reliable and informative diagnostic tool in the evaluation of azoospermic infertile men.     

Coccidioidomycosis of the male genital tract

PURPOSE: Symptomatic genital tract infection is a rare manifestation of disseminated coccidioidomycosis. We characterized the clinical presentation, diagnosis, management and outcome in male patients with genitourinary coccidioidomycosis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We reviewed all cases of genital tract coccidioidomycosis involving testes, epididymis or prostate at our institution between 1990 and 2000, and searched the medical literature for all reports since the first reported case in 1943. RESULTS: A total of 30 male patients with a median age of 58 years who had coccidioidomycosis of the genital tract were identified, including 6 at our institution. Four patients (13%) had a simultaneous pulmonary infection and 63% (19) had a remote history of primary pulmonary coccidioidomycosis. The most commonly involved genital tract sites were the epididymis in 18 cases, prostate in 14 and testes in 6. Patients with prostatitis presented with urinary obstruction, prostatic enlargement, tenderness and palpable nodules. Most patients with epididymal infection presented with scrotal swelling, tenderness and induration. All 30 patients (100%) had histopathological evidence of granulomatous inflammation with fungal spherules. Urine fungal cultures were positive in 19 cases (63%). A total of 12 patients received combined medical and surgical treatment, and 18 underwent surgical excision only. Most immunocompetent patients with isolated genital coccidioidomycosis did well with surgical resection alone. Six deaths occurred in patients with multifocal, extragenital, disseminated disease. CONCLUSIONS: Male genitourinary coccidioidomycosis is rare but it should be considered in the differential diagnosis of patients with exposure to the endemic area who present with prostatitis or epididymitis.     

Treatment of infertility due to anejaculation in the male with electroejaculation and intracytoplasmic sperm injection

PURPOSE: We tested the hypothesis that spinal cord injury and/or anejaculation affects the outcome of intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI). MATERIALS AND METHODS: From November 1993 to October 1998 we obtained and prospectively reviewed data on 34 ICSI cycles using electroejaculated sperm, 620 male factor infertility ICSI cycles using normal ejaculated sperm and 120 cases of obstructive azoospermia, in which microsurgical epididymal aspiration and testicular sperm extraction-ICSI were done in 93 and 27, respectively. RESULTS: A total of 34 ICSI cycles were performed in 17 couples with male infertility due to anejaculation secondary to spinal cord injury in 10 patients and retroperitoneal lymph node dissection in 5, and idiopathic in 2. In all 17 couples at least 3 previous intrauterine insemination cycles had failed. After electroejaculation 11 men had oligozoospermia and 6 normal sperm density. Median sperm retrieval volume plus or minus standard deviation was 1.9 +/- 1.9 ml., median sperm concentration 70.7 +/- 60.2 x 106 sperm per ml., median motility 10.7% +/- 10.8% and median forward progression 2.3 +/- 0.5 (scale 1 to 4). In the anejaculation group ICSI resulted in a median fertilization of 60% +/- 28%, 15% pregnancies per cycle and 29% pregnancies per couple. In the control group of 620 ICSI cycles from ejaculated specimens obtained from male patients with infertility median fertilization was 58% +/- 26%, and there were 39% pregnancies per cycle and 47% pregnancies per couple. The rate of pregnancies per embryo transfer and per couple was higher in the control than in the electroejaculation-ICSI group (p <0.05). However, there was no statistically significant difference in the fertilization rate. CONCLUSIONS: ICSI or in vitro fertilization is a viable alternative for patients with anejaculation in whom intrauterine insemination failed. While the fertilization rate is similar in these couples, the pregnancy rate is significantly lower than that achieved with ejaculated specimens from patients with severe male factor infertility. ICSI is a viable alternative for a patient with anejaculation in whom intrauterine insemination or in vitro fertilization failed.     

Melanoma of the penis, scrotum and male urethra: a 40-year single institution experience

PURPOSE: Genitourinary melanoma is rare and classically associated with a poor prognosis. We describe our experience with 10 patients with penile or urethral involvement. In addition, we present what is to our knowledge the largest reported series of melanoma of the scrotum (6 cases). MATERIALS AND METHODS: We reviewed the records of 16 men who presented consecutively to our institution with genitourinary melanoma between 1962 and 2000. Clinical and pathological characteristics were assessed, including Breslow thickness, primary surgical intervention and clinical course. RESULTS: Of 10 patients with penile or urethral melanoma 1997 American Joint Committee on Cancer melanoma pathological stage was T1 (depth less than 0.75 mm) in 4, T2 (0.75 to 1.5 mm) in 3 and T3 (1.51 to 4 mm) in 3. Only 1 of 4 patients with clinically palpable inguinal nodes had inguinal metastases at lymphadenectomy (BILND) and 3 who underwent prophylactic superficial BILND had negative findings. In 7 patients with T1-2N0M0 disease there were no local recurrences after wide local excision (WLE) or partial penectomy at a median followup of 35 months. Six of 7 men were rendered disease-free. One patient died of melanoma that developed at a second primary site. The 3 patients with T3 tumors who underwent partial (2) or radical (1) penectomy with or without BILND died of disease (2) or had progression (1). In all patients with penile melanoma the 5-year actuarial disease specific and recurrence-free survival rates were 80% and 60%, respectively, at a median followup of 39 months (range 20 to 210). Six patients with scrotal melanoma were treated with WLE without local recurrences. Three of the 6 patients had palpable inguinal nodes, of whom 2 died after chemotherapy for unresectable disease and 1 died of other causes 51 months after negative BILND. The 3 men with clinically negative groins who did not undergo prophylactic BILND had distant (1) or regional (2) metastases and died of disease. In patients with scrotal melanoma the 5-year actuarial disease specific and recurrence-free survival rates were 33.3% and 33.3%, respectively, at a median followup of 36 months. CONCLUSIONS: Partial penectomy or WLE provided effective local control for low stage penile or urethral melanomas and all scrotal lesions. Patients showing clinically positive, proven metastasis died despite appropriate surgical procedures and multi-agent chemotherapy. Prophylactic modified inguinal lymphadenectomy should be considered in select patients with penile, scrotal and anterior urethral melanoma.