Evaluation of the pituitary reserve of gonadotropins and seminal function of the testis in subjects operated for cryptorchism.

76 patients (prepuberal, puberal and adults) who had undergone surgery for monolateral (35) or bilateral (41) cryptorchidism in childhood were studied. Testicular volume (76 cases), seminiferal function (18 cases) and pituitary gonadotropin reserve (51 cases) were evaluated. We obtained the following results: 1) the prepuberal patients had a normal testicular volume, while 70% of the puberal and adult patients had a mean testicular volume below normal levels. 2) 55.6% of the adults who underwent spermiogram had a pathological seminiferal function. 3) The number of patients whith exagerated gonadotropin response to GnRH-test increases with increasing puberal stage and reaches its highest significance after complete puberal development. These data confirm that: 1) the long permanence of one or both testis out of their natural position has a negative influence on their trophism; 2) the long-term prognosis of the tubular function of the testis after orchidopessis is poor in a high percentage of cases. 3) the endocrine anomalies which follow the early morphologic and functional changes of the cryptorchid testis are more easily detected during puberty as a reduced hypothalamic feedback of the gonadotropin secretion.