Role of Imaging in the Evaluation of Non-Palpable Testes: A Rare Case of Ectopic and Undescended Testes in an Adult

Abstract

Undescended testis is one of the most common pediatric disorder of the male endocrine glands and the most common genital disorder identified at birth. The undescended testis may be palpable or non-palpable. Approximately 20% of undescended testis are non-palpable and either located in the abdomen or the canaliculi, or atrophic or are completely absent. Identifying the location of ectopic and undescended testes can aid in presurgical planning and help determine the optimal type of surgical correction procedure to be performed. Ultrasound and MRI are the most common imaging exams ordered to detect and locate these two variants. Testicular tissue at ectopic site was identified by presence of characteristic signal intensity pattern, mediastinum testis and its location along empty spermatic canal in cases of inguinal testis either singly or in combination. We conclude that MR imaging is useful in the localization and tissue characterization of nonpalpable testes.