Surgical movement of an undescended testicle to the scrotum.
Performed most often in infants and very young children to correct cryptochordism.
Occasionally performed in adolescents and in adults it is performed for testicular torsion.
Performed to minimize risk of infertility, as all adult males with cryptorchidism have lowered sperm counts and poor sperm quality compared to men with normal testicles.
The risk of infertility increases with the increase in age at the time of the procedure, and if both testes are affected.
Relative risk for testicular cancer among patients to undergoing orchiopexy age 13 is 2.23, whereas it is 5.4 in those who undergo orchiopexy at 13 years or older.