Testicular prosthetic implants in boys and teenagers with primary or secondary anorchism

Abstract

From 1989 to 2005, 13 patients aged between 5 and 18 years had testicular prostheses implanted at the Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, University Hospital, Malmö, Sweden. The most common indication for surgery was aplastic or vanishing testes. In 13 patients and 19 operations 7 unilateral and 12 bilateral testicular prostheses were implanted. Each prosthesis was implanted through an inguinal skin incision, inserted digitally, and fixed with purse-string sutures. Some years after the primary implant three of the patients have had a second operation in which the small prosthesis was exchanged for an adult one. There was only one minor postoperative complication, a superficial wound infection. No patient required reoperation. All patients were happy with the results of surgery at the follow-up. We recommend this operation for implantation of testicular prostheses.

• Testicular prosthesis
• testicular aplasia
• vanishing testes
• cryptorchid testes
• cryptorchidism
• nonpalpable testes