Presentation of Undescended Testis to a Paediatric Referal Centre in Jos

Background: Undescended testis is the commonest disorder affecting the male urogenital tract. Late presentation has significant socio-medical impact on the individual’s quality of life. Aim: To evaluate the presentation of undescended testis and age at surgery in our centre. Methods: A 9-year retrospective analysis of the clinical records of patients < 18 years managed for undescended testis in our centre. Results: A total of 73 records were analysed, 58 (79.5%) presented > 1 year. Median age at presentation was 4 years, range 1 day - 16 years. Males 73 (100%), only 17 (23.3%) were referred by health personnel, while 56 (76.7%) self-referred. Commonest site involved was the left 33 (45.2%), 29 (39.7%) right and 11 (15.1%) bilateral. There were 13 (17.4%) who had associated congenital malformations. Hypospadias 7 (53.8%), isolated micropenis 4 (30.8%) and 1 each (7.7%) had myelomeningocele and hernia. Median age at presentation for bilateral involvement was 30 days, with associated hypospadias was 12 days, while those with isolated micropenis was 7.5 years. Median age at surgery for bilateral involvement was 2 years, overall median age at surgery was 4 years. Surgery Findings: Supra-scrotal testis 47, canalicular 25 (34.2%), and bilateral abdominal 1 (1.4%). Outcome: Wound infections 4 (5.5%), scrotal wound breakdown 1, Recurrence 3 and testicular atrophy 1. Conclusion: Our patients presented very late beyond the recommended age for surgery, evaluating for DSD also contributed to delay in intervention even when these patients presented early. We advocate for early screening at birth, during routine child immunization and school enrollment, with prompt referral.