Question

A 6-month-old boy is found to have undescended testes. The parents are concerned. Which of the following should the nurse anticipate as the next step for this client?

1) Administer a short course of chorionic gonadotropin hormone for about 5 days
2) Wait a year or two to see whether the testes will descend on their own
3) Orchiopexy to correct the condition
4) Karyotyping to establish the client's gender

Answer 1

Orchiopexy is the recommended next step for a 6-month-old boy with undescended testes, as spontaneous descent after this age is unlikely and surgery before 12 months is preferred to optimize long-term outcomes.

Step-by-step explanation:

In the case of a 6-month-old boy with undescended testes, a common approach is observation for the first few months of life since the testes may descend spontaneously during this time. Typically, if the testes have not descended by 6 months, they are unlikely to do so later, and the next recommended step would usually be an orchiopexy, which is a surgical procedure to correct the condition. Although waiting a year or two is an option, the current standard of care often involves surgery before the child reaches 12 months to optimize outcomes for fertility and to reduce the risk of other complications, such as testicular cancer. Administering chorionic gonadotropin hormone is a treatment that may be used in select cases, but it is not the primary next step. Karyotyping is typically not performed in the case of undescended testes unless there is suspicion of an intersex condition or chromosomal abnormality.