Polyorchidism

Abstract

A review of the English literature has yielded 39 cases of polyorchidism suitable for consideration in this review, and we add one more. The patients may be grouped according to the location of the aberrant testicular mass or the anatomic arrangement of their collecting systems.

Abdominal polyorchidism: A case report and review of the literature

“…According to this; Type I is -the supernumerary testis lacks an epididymis and vas, Type II is -the supernumerary testis is linked to the regular testis by a common epididymis and shares a common vas with it, and Type III is -the supernumerary testis has its own epididymis but shares the vas with the regular testis [5]. Another classification is based upon the topology which is scrotal, inguinal or intraabdominal position of the testis [6]. An intrascrotal mass such as spermatocele, hydrocele, epididymal cyst or aberrant epididymis can be mistaken for a third testis [7].…”

Polyorchidism: a case report and classification

“…Polyorchidism has been classified mainly according to embryological theories: longitudinal or transverse division of the genital ridge before the eighth week of gestation, duplication of the genital ridge, incomplete degeneration of a portion of the mesonephros, and the development of peritoneal bands [2,8,9]. Although generally accepted, every classification lacks categorization for some cases described in the literature [1,[10][11][12].…”

Bilateral Polyorchidism Associated with Intraabdominal Cryptorchidism: A Case Report

“…Several embryological mechanisms have been proposed, including the degeneration of parts of the mesonephric components, the duplication or division of the genital ridge [2] or the accidental longitudinal or transverse division of the genital ridge, with or without the mesonephros, before the 8th week of gestation, either by a local accident or by the development of peritoneal bands [1] . There are several classification systems for polyorchidism based on anatomical arrangements of the testes and their outflow paths [8][9][10] . Four forms of polyorchidism have been described and classified by Leung [9] , 2 of which, type II and III together, account for more than 90% of the cases of polyorchidism.…”