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Cryptorchid

During the development of the male pup the testicles should descend from the abdomen thru the inguinal channel into the scrotum. If after 12 weeks the testicles haven’t descended in the scrotum this will not happen and we than call the pup a cryptorchid pup. The undescended testis can be either on the one side or both sides. Two situations are possible the testis is still in the abdomen or the testis is stuck in the groin. In the last case it is possible to feel the testicle.

Cryptorchid pups are excluded from breeding, because cryptorchidsm is a hereditary disorder. Moving the testis from the groin to the scrotum thru surgical intervention is seen as illegal.

The risk of undescended testis
The question is how dangerous is an undescended this for the pup. Testicles which are positioned in a warm area have an increased risk of developing into a tumour. The risk of tumour growth depends on the location of the testis. The testis that is situated in the abdomen has a 16 times higher risk of developing into a tumour than when the testis sits in the scrotum. When a testis lies in the inguinal channel it becomes even warmer. Such a testis has a 32 times higher risk of developing into a tumour compared to a testis that lies in the scrotum. The risk of a non-cryptorchid pup getting a testicle tumour is minimal.

When a testis doesn’t descend it has a lot of consequences for the pup. The problem is easily visible when the testis is in the groin. The groin will be swelling in the groin and this is easy to treat. When the testis is situated in the abdomen than can it will grow without being visible or palpable. It is than possible that the testicle tumour will start to produce hormones, which will have an influence on the behaviour and appearance of the pup. This is called feminization syndrome. The male pup will develop on hormonal level into a bitch. The male pup will get fatter, loses hair, will develop more pigment and a hanging foreskin, the male will become attractive for other males. In about 10% of all cases the tumour will spread to other parts of the body. Most undescended testis will develop in tumours after 6 years, but undescended testes have been removed by 3 year old dogs.

Instead of waiting for symptoms of these tumours, it is better to be preventative. The testis from the groin is relatively easy to remove. The testis lying in the abdomen can be situated close to the kidneys or groin. This means that sometimes the testis is difficult to find especially when it is small and not grown into a tumour.

The laparoscopic treatment of non-tumour undescended testis

Before the development of the laparoscopic technique removal of the undescended testis was a big operation. With an incision in both muscle layers on either side of the penis the opening was created, so the surgeon could put his/her hand in the abdomen to feel for the undescended testis. When this was found it was taken out of the abdomen tied off and removed. Once that was done 3 layers were closed with sutures and the dog need to wear a hood and return after 10 days to have the stitches removed.

The laparoscopic procedure has all advantages of a regular laparoscopy (see laparoscopy). The only difference with a laparoscopic sterilisation is that the testicle not has to be removed from the abdomen. It will be sufficient to close to veins to and from the testicle. This is made possible by only making 2 small incisions of 5 mm in the abdominal wall. These incisions are closed with 2 solvable sutures which can be removed after 7 days by the owner. With a one sided undescended testis the descended testis can stay in the scrotum and therefore a castration is not needed.