Abstract
Plasma T was measured from 10 to 120 days in 29 full-term males born with undescended testes (14) or testis (15). At 4 months 16 remained cryptor-chid (group A) while spontaneous descent occurred in 13 (group B). 49 plasma samples from these patients were compared to 45 controls (C). The postnatal T rise was significantly (*p < 0.05, **p < 0.01) reduced from 10 to 89 days in group A compared to B and to C, T (ng/ml, mean ± SEM) levels being : 10-29 days A 0.51±0.16**, B 2.87± 0.41, C 2.00±0.21 ; 30-59 days A 1.23±0.70*, B 3.46±0.55, C 3.08±0.58 ; 60-89 days A 1.13± 0.27**, B 4.27±0.44, C 2.81±1.06 ; 90-120 days A 0.38±0.20, C 1.42±0.41. No difference was found between uni and bilateral cases in groups A and B. It is concluded that early Leydig cell secretion is impaired in cryptorchidism and normal in delayed testicular descent, thus suggesting that testosterone deficiency may play a role in the defect of testicular descent and maturation in true cryptorchids.
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Gendrel, D., Job, J. & Roger, M. Reduced early postnatal rise of plasma testosterone in cryptorchidism. Pediatr Res 12, 1086 (1978). https://doi.org/10.1203/00006450-197811000-00032
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1203/00006450-197811000-00032