Advantages of single-site laparoscopic orchiopexy for palpable undescended testes in children: a prospective comparison study

Abstract

Purpose: To evaluate the feasibility of single-site laparoscopic orchiopexy for palpable undescended testes in children.

Methods: We prospectively studied patients with undescended testes between July 2021 and June 2022. In total, 223 patients were included in our study: 105 underwent single-site laparoscopic orchiopexy and 118 underwent conventional laparoscopic orchiopexy. During single-site laparoscopic orchiopexy, 3 ports were inserted within the umbilicus.

Results: No differences were observed between the groups in terms of age and laterality. For unilateral undescended testes, the operating time was longer in the single site group than in the conventional group at the early stages (55.31 ± 12.04 min vs. 48.14 ± 14.39 min, P = 0.007), but it was similar to the conventional group at the later stages (48.82 ± 13.49 min vs. 48.14 ± 14.39 min, P = 0.78). Testicular ascent occurred in one patient from each group. There was no significant difference in the success rate between the single-site group and the conventional group (99.0% vs. 99.2%, P = 0.93). In the single-site group, no visible abdominal scarring was observed, while in the conventional group, there were two noticeable scars on the abdomen.

Conclusion: Single-site laparoscopic orchiopexy offers superior cosmetic results and comparable success rates compared to conventional laparoscopic orchiopexy for palpable undescended testes.

Keywords: Laparoscopic; Orchiopexy; Palpable; Single site; Undescended testis.