An old technique for surgery of ‘high’ undescended testis revisited

Abstract 

Introduction

Most undescended testes resolve spontaneously in the first year of life. If the testis remains undescended by the second year, the most probable means of scrotal placement is orchiopexy. After the first successful operation for orchiopexy, many surgical modifications were described. This study presents our limited experience with Prentiss' maneuver in six boys with high undescended testes.

Patients and methods

Two left, two right and two bilateral testes, in six patients, were operated. Five patients were admitted with the complaint of unilaterally or bilaterally ‘empty scrotum’. The sixth patient previously had a right high undescended testis which had been placed in a high scrotal position. Following the standard steps of inguinal orchiopexy Prentiss' maneuver were performed and yielded adequate distance to place the testes mid scrotum.

Results

On follow-up, Doppler ultrasound examination revealed normal sized testes with normal blood flow in all patients with dimensions correlated with age.

Conclusion

Although perhaps only useful in orchiopexy for high undescended testis, incision of the transversalis fascia preserves testicular blood flow by relieving tension on the testicular vessels.

Keywords: Prentiss' maneuver, Undescended testis, Orchiopexy