Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

The impact of simple orchiectomy on semen quality and endocrine parameters in postpubertal cryptorchid men

  • Urology - Original Paper
  • Published:
International Urology and Nephrology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Purpose

The main objectives of this retrospective cohort study were to evaluate reproductive endocrine and semen profiles before and after simple orchiectomy in patients with unilateral postpubertal cryptorchidism and to investigate the relationship between hormone levels and histopathology of the removed testis.

Methods

We evaluated 40 adult males who were admitted to our clinic, between 2001 and 2007, with unilateral undescended testis. Right orchiectomy was performed in 27 patients and left orchiectomy in 13. Semen analysis, serum inhibin B, follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), luteinizing hormone (LH), and testosterone levels were examined in before and 3 months after orchiectomy. Orchiectomy materials were evaluated histopathologically.

Results

Semen parameters, as well as testosterone and LH levels, did not change in any histopathological subgroups in the postoperative follow-up. In patients with maturation arrest, mean serum inhibin B level statistically significantly decreased from 160.9 to 83.5 pg/ml, and mean FSH level significantly increased from 4.8 to 7.6 mIU/ml after orchiectomy (p value, 0.008 and 0.008, respectively). Though, the levels were still within the normal range of the two hormones.

Conclusions

Simple orchiectomy does not have any effect on semen parameters and testosterone level in patients with postpubertal cryptorchidism. The change in inhibin B and FSH levels after orchiectomy in patients with maturation arrest is not clinically significant.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Petersen PM, Skakkebaek NE, Rørth M et al (1999) Semen quality and reproductive hormones before and after orchiectomy in men with testicular cancer. J Urol 161:822–826

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  2. Lin WW, Kim ED, Quesada ET et al (1998) Unilateral testicular injury from external trauma: evaluation of semen quality and endocrine parameters. J Urol 159:841–843

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  3. Arap MA, Vicentini FC, Cocuzza M et al (2007) Late hormonal levels, semen parameters, and presence of antisperm antibodies in patients treated for testicular torsion. J Androl 28:528–532

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  4. Tekgul S, Riedmiller H, Dogan HS et al (2012) Guidelines on pediatric urology. EAU guidelines 2012:11–12

  5. Oh J, Landman J, Evers A et al (2002) Management of the postpubertal patient with cryptorchidism: an updated analysis. J Urol 167:1329–1333

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  6. Rogers E, Teahan S, Gallagher H et al (1998) The role of orchiectomy in the management of postpubertal cryptorchidism. J Urol 159:851–854

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. Wood HM, Elder JS (2009) Cryptorchidism and testicular cancer: separating fact from fiction. J Urol 181(2):452–461

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  8. Irkilata HC, Dayanc M, Yildirim I et al (2005) Low sperm recovery from the undescended testis with testicular sperm extraction in postpubertal cryptorchids: preliminary report. Andrologia 37:65–68

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  9. Cooper TG, Noonan E, von Eckardstein S et al (2010) World health organization reference values for human semen characteristics. Hum Reprod Update 16(3):231–245

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  10. Kruger TF, Acosta AA, Simmons KF et al (1988) Predictive value of abnormal sperm morphology in in vitro fertilization. Fertil Steril 49(1):112–117

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  11. Illingworth PJ, Groome NP, Byrd W et al (1996) Inhibin-B: a likely candidate for the physiologically important form of inhibin in men. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 81:1321–1325

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  12. Kamisawa H, Kojima Y, Hayashi Y et al (2008) Evaluation of preoperative testicular volume in Japanese children with unilateral cryptorchidism. Int Urol Nephrol 40(4):977–981

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  13. Hadziselimovic F, Herzog B (2001) Importance of early postnatal germ cell maturation for fertility of cryptorchid males. Horm Res 55(1):6–10

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  14. Cortes D, Thorup JM, Visfeldt J (2001) Cryptorchidism: aspects of fertility and neoplasms. A study including data of 1,335 consecutive boys who underwent testicular biopsy simultaneously with surgery for cryptorchidism. Horm Res 55(1):21–27

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  15. Puri P, O’Donnell B (1988) Semen analysis of patients who had orchidopexy at or after seven years of age. Lancet 2:1051–1052

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  16. Murphy F, Paran TS, Puri P (2007) Orchidopexy and its impact on fertility. Pediatr Surg Int 23(7):625–632

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  17. Cendron M, Keating MA, Huff DS et al (1989) Cryptorchidism, orchiopexy and infertility—a critical long-term retrospective analysis. J Urol 142:559–562

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  18. Miller KD, Coughlin MT, Lee PA (2001) Fertility after unilateral cryptorchidism. Paternity, time to conception, pretreatment testicular locations size, hormone and sperm parameters. Horm Res 55:249–253

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  19. Lipshultz LI (1976) Cryptorchidism in the subfertile male. Fertil Steril 27(6):609–620

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  20. Grasso M, Buonaguidi A, Lania C et al (1991) Postpubertal cryptorchidism: review and evaluation of the fertility. Eur Urol 20(2):126–128

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  21. Vernaeve V, Krikilion A, Verheyen G et al (2004) Outcome of testicular sperm recovery and ICSI in patients with non-obstructive azoospermia with a history of orchidopexy. Hum Reprod 19(10):2307–2312

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  22. Raman JD, Schlegel PN (2003) Testicular sperm extraction with intracytoplasmic sperm injection is successful for the treatment of nonobstructive azoospermia associated with cryptorchidism. J Urol 170(4 Pt 1):1287–1290

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  23. Chiba K, Ishikawa T, Yamaguchi K, Fujisawa M (2009) The efficacy of adult orchidopexy as a treatment of male infertility: our experience of 20 cases. Fertil Steril 92(4):1337–1339

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  24. Lin YM, Hsu CC, Wu MH et al (2001) Successful testicular sperm extraction and paternity in an azoospermic man after bilateral postpubertal orchiopexy. Urology 57(2):365

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  25. Giwercman A, Hansen LL, Skakkebaek NE (2000) Initiation of sperm production after bilateral orchiopexy: clinical and biological implications. J Urol 163(4):1255–1256

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  26. Shin D, Lemack GE, Goldstein M (1997) Induction of spermatogenesis and pregnancy after adult orchiopexy. J Urol 158(6):2242

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  27. Heaton ND, Davenport M, Pryor JP (1993) Fertility after correction of bilateral undescended testes at the age of 23 years. Br J Urol 71(4):490–491

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  28. Cromie WJ (1983) Cryptorchidism and malignant testicular disease. In: Hadziselimovic F (ed) Cryptorchidism, management and implications. Springer, New York, p 83

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  29. Andersson AM, Müller J, Skakkebaek NE (1998) Different roles of prepubertal and postpubertal germ cells and sertoli cells in the regulation of serum inhibin B levels. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 83(12):4451–4458

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  30. Anawalt BD, Bebb RA, Matsumoto AM et al (1996) Serum inhibin B levels reflect sertoli cell function in normal men and men with testicular dysfunction. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 81:3341–3345

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  31. Anderson RA, Wallace EM, Groome NP et al (1997) Physiological relationships between inhibin B, follicle stimulating hormone secretion and spermatogenesis in normal men and response to gonadotrophin suppression by exogenous testosterone. Hum Reprod 12:746–751

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  32. von Eckardstein S, Simoni M, Bergmann M et al (1999) Serum inhibin B in combination with serum follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) is a more sensitive marker than serum FSH alone for impaired spermatogenesis in men, but cannot predict the presence of sperm in testicular tissue samples. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 84:2496–2501

    Article  Google Scholar 

  33. Vernaeve V, Tournaye H, Schiettecatte J et al (2002) Serum inhibin B cannot predict testicular sperm retrieval in patients with non-obstructive azoospermia. Hum Reprod 17:971–976

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Urology, Gulhane Military Medical Academy, 06018, Ankara, Turkey

    Hasan Cem Irkilata, Yusuf Kibar, Seref Basal, Bilal Fırat Alp, Ender Oral, Lutfu Tahmaz & Murat Dayanc

  2. Department of Pathology, Gulhane Military Medical Academy, 06018, Ankara, Turkey

    Bulent Kurt & Armagan Gunal

  3. Department of Immunology and Allergy, Gulhane Military Medical Academy, 06018, Ankara, Turkey

    Ugur Musabak

  4. Department of Urology, Gulhane School of Medicine, 06018, Ankara, Turkey

    Hasan Cem Irkilata

Authors
  1. Hasan Cem Irkilata
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Yusuf Kibar
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Seref Basal
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Bulent Kurt
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Armagan Gunal
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Bilal Fırat Alp
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  7. Ender Oral
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  8. Ugur Musabak
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  9. Lutfu Tahmaz
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  10. Murat Dayanc
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Hasan Cem Irkilata.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Irkilata, H.C., Kibar, Y., Basal, S. et al. The impact of simple orchiectomy on semen quality and endocrine parameters in postpubertal cryptorchid men. Int Urol Nephrol 44, 1617–1622 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11255-012-0256-3

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11255-012-0256-3

Keywords

Search

Navigation