Evaluation of Undescended Testes in Newborns: It Is Really Simple, Just Not Easy

Introduction: The evaluation of the testicular position in newborns is important to ensure timely initiation of therapy. The aim of our study was to assess the reliability of a routinely performed screening examination.

Patients and methods: Newborns were examined by a pediatrician between 48 and 72 h after birth. Boys with suspected cryptorchidism were double-checked by a pediatric urologist within 24 h.

Results: 1,181/2,353 children included in the study between June 2015 and December 2017 were male. Eight hundred sixty-one boys could be included in this analysis; 5.8% (n = 50) were diagnosed with undescended testis (UDT) by the pediatrician. 30/50 boys were double-checked at the Department of Pediatric Urology. Forty percent (20/50) were lost to follow-up. In 43% (13/30), the diagnosis could be confirmed. Three former studies had shown a relevant discrepancy in the results of the diagnosis of UDT made by health care providers and urologists/pediatric surgeons. To our knowledge, this is the first study evaluating the testicular position in male newborns in such a large prospective birth cohort study by physicians with ranging expertise within 1 day.

Conclusion: Further treatment for UDT is based on clinical examination. Ours and previous studies can clearly show the various findings in boys suspected having UDT. Therefore, it is essential that the diagnosis is confirmed by a specialist before a therapy is initiated.