Purpose: To review the use of laparoscopy in the management of impalpable testes in children. Methods: The hospital records of boys who had laparoscopic procedures for impalpable testes were reviewed. Results: From 2000 to 2006, 447 boys presented with undescended testes to our centre. Sixty-five testes in 51 boys were impalpable both clinically and during examination under general anaesthesia. Under laparoscopy, 24 testes were found within the abdominal cavity, 23 testes in the inguinal canal and 18 testes vanished. According to the different location and morphology of testes, various options of operative procedures were performed. In 45 testes with orchidopexy done, all except one had satisfactory position in the scrotum. The sizes of 3 testes were found to be smaller than the contralateral ones during post-operative follow-up. Conclusions: 12.9% of the undescended testes in our series were impalpable. Laparoscopy locates the position of impalpable testes and decides treatment options for them.
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