At what age is surgical orchiopexy recommended for a child with a unilateral undescended testis?

b. 1 year

Undescended testis occurs in 30% of premature boys, 3.4% of full-term boys, 0.8% of 1-year olds, and 0.8% of adults. The implication is that if spontaneous testicular descent has not occurred by 1 year of age, it is unlikely to occur subsequently. Therefore, orchiopexy is deferred until the patient reaches 1 year of age. Testes that remain undescended during childhood have a significant reduction in the number of germ cells and have little function after puberty. Demonstrable histologic changes are present by the age of 2 years. For this reason, delay beyond 1 year is not recommended.