THE SUN DOCTOR
Practice doctors waiting to answer has a line-up of specialist and general Your exciting and revealing paper health bugs and let this week’s Sun free! So come on, send in those nagging your health concerns – and it is for identity. Give us a pseudo, it’s
Dear Sun Doc
What is the difference between retractile testicle and ascending testicle? And what are the treatments?B.C.
Dear B.C.,
The testicles are formed within the abdomen and go down to the scrotum during the last three months of pregnancy, so most baby boys are born with both testicles in the scrotum. If the testicles have not descended by the time of birth, in most boys, they will come down within the first six months. In most cases, the missing testicle or testicles are undescended, meaning they are trapped in the path between the abdomen and the scrotum or within the abdomen and have never reached the scrotum. A scan may be done to determine the exact location of the missing testicle and surgery may be done to place it correctly or remove it completely depending on where it is found and the condition it is in.
A retractile testicle on the other hand is a testicle that descended normally into the scrotum but does not stay there: it moves back and forth between the scrotum and pubic/groin area, and can be moved by hand.
This happens because of an overactive cremaster muscle, the muscle that holds the testes. The muscle normally pulls the testicles back into the groin in response to cold, anxiety or fear, or stimulation of a particular nerve root. If this muscle is overactive, then there is testicular retraction and it usually happens with just one testicle. This happens in young boys and resolves by itself with the testicle settling in the correct place in the scrotum permanently before or during puberty without any intervention.
Rarely, the testicle retracts to the groin area and gets stuck there, and cannot be moved. This is called an ascended testicle or acquired undescended testicle.
The doctor will observe this for a while, allowing time for the problem to resolve itself. If it doesn’t, then surgery can be done to permanently place it in the scrotum.