Translational research in testicular migration

COMMENT

One of the most important research studies of the Urogenital Research Unit is about Testicular Migration. In the interesting paper of Logsdon and Collegues of our research group (¹) we can observe a review about the role of the abdominal wall in testicular migration process during the human fetal period. Testicular descent is a complex process of relevant importance for the comprehension of cryptorchidism. There are several anatomic and hormonal factors involved in the testicular migration process (²–⁴). In present paper (the cover of this edition of Int Braz J Urol) the authors concluded that the abdominal pressure wound is an auxiliary force in testicular migration. Patients with abdominal wall defects are associated with undescendend testis in more than 30% of the cases probably due to mechanical factors; the Prune Belly Syndrome has anatomical changes in the anterior abdominal wall that hinder the increase of intra-abdominal pressure which could be the cause of cryptorchidism in this syndrome.

References

• ¹
  Logsdon NT, Sampaio FJB, Favorito LA. The role of intra-abdominal pressure in human testicular migration. Int Braz J Urol. 2021;47:36-44.
• ²
  Favorito LA, Costa SF, Julio-Junior HR, Sampaio FJ. The importance of the gubernaculum in testicular migration during the human fetal period. Int Braz J Urol. 2014;40:722-9.
• ³
  Favorito LA, Sampaio FJ, Javaroni V, Cardoso LE, Costa WS. Proximal insertion of gubernaculum testis in normal human fetuses and in boys with cryptorchidism. J Urol. 2000;164(3 Pt 1):792-4.
• ⁴
  Sampaio FJ, Favorito LA, Freitas MA, Damião R, Gouveia E. Arterial supply of the human fetal testis during its migration. J Urol. 1999;161:1603-5.

Publication Dates

• Publication in this collection
  18 Nov 2020
• Date of issue
  Jan-Feb 2021

History

• Received
  10 Sept 2020
• Accepted
  15 Sept 2020