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Orchiopexy
 
 
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Orchiopexy (or orchidopexy) is a surgery
Surgery

Surgery is a medical specialty that uses operative manual and instrumental techniques on a patient to investigate and/or treat a pathological condition such as disease or injury, to help improve bodily function or appearance, or sometimes for some other reason....
 to move an undescended testicle
Testicle

The testicle is the male gonad in animals. This article will concentrate on mammalian testicles unless otherwise noted.The etymology of the word is somewhat colorfully based on Roman law....
 into the scrotum
Scrotum

In some male mammals the scrotum is a protuberance of skin and muscle containing the testicles. It is an extension of the abdomen, and is located between the penis and anus....
 and permanently fix it there. It is performed by a pediatric urologist
Urology

Urology is the surgical specialty that focuses on the urinary tracts of males and females, and on the reproductive system of males. Medical professionals specializing in the field of urology are called urologists and are trained to diagnose, treat, and manage patients with urological disorders....
 or surgeon on boys with cryptorchidism
Cryptorchidism

Cryptorchidism is the absence of one or both testes from the scrotum. This usually represents failure of the testis to move, or "descend," during fetal development from an abdomen position, through the inguinal canal, into the ipsilateral scrotum....
, typically before they reach the age of two. Some patients remain undiagnosed until their teenage years and undergo the surgery at that time.

The undescended testicle may be located within the normal line of descent (for example, in the inguinal canal
Inguinal canal

The inguinal canal is a passage in the anterior abdominal wall which in men conveys the spermatic cord and in women the Round ligament of uterus....
) or high in the scrotum or ectopically (i.e.






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Encyclopedia


Orchiopexy (or orchidopexy) is a surgery
Surgery

Surgery is a medical specialty that uses operative manual and instrumental techniques on a patient to investigate and/or treat a pathological condition such as disease or injury, to help improve bodily function or appearance, or sometimes for some other reason....
 to move an undescended testicle
Testicle

The testicle is the male gonad in animals. This article will concentrate on mammalian testicles unless otherwise noted.The etymology of the word is somewhat colorfully based on Roman law....
 into the scrotum
Scrotum

In some male mammals the scrotum is a protuberance of skin and muscle containing the testicles. It is an extension of the abdomen, and is located between the penis and anus....
 and permanently fix it there. It is performed by a pediatric urologist
Urology

Urology is the surgical specialty that focuses on the urinary tracts of males and females, and on the reproductive system of males. Medical professionals specializing in the field of urology are called urologists and are trained to diagnose, treat, and manage patients with urological disorders....
 or surgeon on boys with cryptorchidism
Cryptorchidism

Cryptorchidism is the absence of one or both testes from the scrotum. This usually represents failure of the testis to move, or "descend," during fetal development from an abdomen position, through the inguinal canal, into the ipsilateral scrotum....
, typically before they reach the age of two. Some patients remain undiagnosed until their teenage years and undergo the surgery at that time.

The undescended testicle may be located within the normal line of descent (for example, in the inguinal canal
Inguinal canal

The inguinal canal is a passage in the anterior abdominal wall which in men conveys the spermatic cord and in women the Round ligament of uterus....
) or high in the scrotum or ectopically (i.e. the abdomen
Abdomen

In vertebrates such as mammals the abdomen constitutes the part of the body between the thorax and pelvis. The region enclosed by the abdomen is termed the abdominal cavity....
). The surgeon may use an endoscope through the umbilicus
Navel

The navel is a scar on the abdomen, caused when the umbilical cord is removed from a newborn baby. All Placentalia mammals have a navel. It is fairly conspicuous in humans....
 to locate the testicle, and through other small opening(s) performs the procedure. The higher the testicle, the less successful the procedure. However, the procedure has a high success rate overall.

Orchiopexy can also be performed to resolve a testicular torsion
Testicular torsion

In testicular torsion the spermatic cord that provides the blood supply to a testicle is twisted, cutting off the blood supply, often causing orchialgia....
. If caught early enough and the blood supply can be restored to the testicle, this operation can be performed to prevent further occurrence of torsion. If the blood supply has been interrupted for too long, then an orchiectomy must be performed.

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