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Surgery (orchiopexy) to retrieve the testes and position them in the scrotum is the primary treatment. Occasionally they are unsalvageable if located high in the retroperitoneum. During this surgery, the uterus is usually removed and attempts made to dissect away Müllerian tissue from the vas deferens and epididymis to improve the chance of fertility. If the person has male gender identity himself and the testes cannot be retrieved, testosterone replacement will be usually necessary at puberty should the affected individual choose to pursue medical attention. Lately, laparoscopic hysterectomy is offered to patients as a solution to both improve the chances of fertility and to prevent the occurrences of neoplastic tissue formation.
A number of treatments have become available to create a functioning vagina, yet in the absence of a uterus currently no surgery is available to make pregnancy possible. Standard approaches use vaginal dilators and/or surgery to develop a functioning vagina to allow for penetrative sexual intercourse. A number of surgical approaches have been used. In the McIndoe procedure, a skin graft is applied to form an artificial vagina. After the surgery, dilators are still necessary to prevent vaginal stenosis. The Vecchietti procedure has been shown to result in a vagina that is comparable to a normal vagina in patients. In the Vecchietti procedure, a small plastic “olive” is threaded against the vaginal area, and the threads are drawn through the vaginal skin, up through the abdomen and through the navel using laparoscopic surgery. There the threads are attached to a traction device. The operation takes about 45 minutes. The traction device is then tightened daily so the olive is pulled inwards and stretches the vagina by approximately 1 cm per day, creating a vagina approximately 7 cm deep in 7 days, although it can be more than this. Another approach is the use of an autotransplant of a resected sigmoid colon using laparoscopic surgery; results are reported to be very good with the transplant becoming a functional vagina.
Uterine transplantation has been performed in a number of people with MRKH, but the surgery is still in the experimental stage. Since ovaries are present, people with this condition can have genetic children through IVF with embryo transfer to a gestational carrier. Some also choose to adopt. In October 2014 it was reported that a month earlier a 36-year-old Swedish woman became the first person with a transplanted uterus to give birth to a healthy baby. She was born without a uterus, but had functioning ovaries. She and the father went through IVF to produce 11 embryos, which were then frozen. Doctors at the University of Gothenburg then performed the uterus transplant, the donor being a 61-year-old family friend. One of the frozen embryos was implanted a year after the transplant, and the baby boy was born prematurely at 31 weeks after the mother developed pre-eclampsia.
Promising research include the use of laboratory-grown structures, which are less subject to the complications of non-vaginal tissue, and may be grown using the person's own cells as a culture source. The recent development of engineered vaginas using the patient's own cells has resulted in fully functioning vaginas capable of menstruation and orgasm in a number of patients showing promise of fully correcting this condition in some of the sufferers.
There are several methods of treatment for individuals with vaginal atresia. The first method of treatment that is recommended would be self-dilation of the vagina. A doctor may first recommend that the patient first attempts to create a vagina themselves through the process self-dilation. The self dilation technique consists of using vaginal dilators, which are small round tubes that vary in size and are similar in size and shape to tampons. Vaginal dilators may be pressed alongside the vaginal area on a regular basis in order to further open the vaginal canal. Frank's procedure is a technique that used a progressive series of vaginal dilators that are inserted into the dimple of the vagina while using pressure. This will widen any space that exists between the bladder and the rectum. Frank's procedure can be performed directly by the patient, therefore requiring no surgery or anesthesia. The procedure/technique can take months to complete, with regular compliance necessary. The overall success rate for females who use Frank's procedure is 80%. If this procedure does not work, then surgery would be the next method of treatment. Another alternative form of treatment would be surgery, or the creation of a new vagina.
Surgical intervention depends on the extent of the individual problem. With a didelphic uterus surgery is not usually recommended.
A uterine septum can be resected in a simple out-patient procedure that combines laparoscopy and hysteroscopy. This procedure greatly decreases the rate of miscarriage for women with this anomaly.
There is no cure available for individuals with Bardet-Biedl Syndrome, however there are methods of treatment for some of the signs and symptoms within each individual. Corrective surgery of malformation related to the disorder may be an option for treatment. Genetic counseling is also something that could be beneficial to families with this disorder.
Usage of intrauterine device (IUD) with copper requires one IUD in each horn to be effective in case of bicornuate uterus. The same practice is generally applied when using IUD with progestogen due to lack of evidence of efficacy with only one IUD.
Evidence is lacking regarding progestogen IUD usage for menorrhagia in bicornuate uterus, but a case report showed good effect with a single IUD.
In order to facilitate sexual intercourse, the main treatments are self-dilation methods (using intra-vaginal cylinders of increasing size) and surgical vaginoplasty to lengthen the vagina.
Self-dilation has a high success rate, estimated at 75%, and is usually the first-line treatment due to low surgical invasiveness. Overall, the complication rates are significantly lower with dilation than with vaginoplasty.
Surgery is indicated when there is inability or reluctance to perform self-dilation, or where it is performed but with failed result. One appropriate surgical variant is the "Vecchietti technique". In this procedure, an olive-shaped pressure device is pressed towards the potential vaginal space by a thread that goes through the skin, behind the urinary bladder and pubic bone and exits the skin in the hypogastrium, where it is attached to a plate that provides counter-traction. Vaginoplasty can also be performed using a skin graft or an intestinal graft. Traction vaginoplasty such as the "Vecchietti technique" seems to have the highest success rates both anatomically (99%) and functionally (96%), whereas skin graft procedures and intestinal procedures have the lowest successful outcomes (83–95%).
After vaginoplasty, available evidence suggests that continued self-dilation is needed to maintain patency in periods of coital inactivity.
The prevalence of uterine malformation is estimated to be 6.7% in the general population, slightly higher (7.3%) in the infertility population, and significantly higher in a population of women with a history of recurrent miscarriages (16%).
The prevalence remains sparsely investigated. To date, two population-based nationwide studies have been conducted both estimating a prevalence about 1 in 5000 live female births. According to some reports, Queen Amalia of Greece may have had the syndrome, but a 2011 review of the historical evidence concludes that it is not possible to determine the inability of her and her husband to have a child. Her inability to provide an heir contributed to the overthrow of her husband, King Otto.
The primary management of cryptorchidism is watchful waiting, due to the high likelihood of self-resolution. Where this fails, a surgery, called orchiopexy, is effective if inguinal testes have not descended after 4–6 months. Surgery is often performed by a pediatric urologist or pediatric surgeon, but in many communities still by a general urologist or surgeon.
When the undescended testis is in the inguinal canal, hormonal therapy is sometimes attempted and very occasionally successful. The most commonly used hormone therapy is human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG). A series of hCG injections (10 injections over 5 weeks is common) is given and the status of the testis/testes is reassessed at the end. Although many trials have been published, the reported success rates range widely, from roughly 5 to 50%, probably reflecting the varying criteria for distinguishing retractile testes from low inguinal testes. Hormone treatment does have the occasional incidental benefits of allowing confirmation of Leydig cell responsiveness (proven by a rise of the testosterone by the end of the injections) or inducing additional growth of a small penis (via the testosterone rise). Some surgeons have reported facilitation of surgery, perhaps by enhancing the size, vascularity, or healing of the tissue. A newer hormonal intervention used in Europe is the use of GnRH analogs such as nafarelin or buserelin; the success rates and putative mechanism of action are similar to hCG, but some surgeons have combined the two treatments and reported higher descent rates. Limited evidence suggests that germ cell count is slightly better after hormone treatment; whether this translates into better sperm counts and fertility rates at maturity has not been established. The cost of either type of hormone treatment is less than that of surgery and the chance of complications at appropriate doses is minimal. Nevertheless, despite the potential advantages of a trial of hormonal therapy, many surgeons do not consider the success rates high enough to be worth the trouble since the surgery itself is usually simple and uncomplicated.
In cases where the testes are identified preoperatively in the inguinal canal, orchiopexy is often performed as an outpatient and has a very low complication rate. An incision is made over the inguinal canal. The testis with accompanying cord structure and blood supply is exposed, partially separated from the surrounding tissues ("mobilized"), and brought into the scrotum. It is sutured to the scrotal tissue or enclosed in a "subdartos pouch." The associated passage back into the inguinal canal, an inguinal hernia, is closed to prevent re-ascent.
In patients with intraabdominal maldescended testis, laparoscopy is useful to see for oneself the pelvic structures, position of the testis and decide upon surgery ( single or staged procedure ).
Surgery becomes more complicated if the blood supply is not ample and elastic enough to be stretched into the scrotum. In these cases, the supply may be divided, some vessels sacrificed with expectation of adequate collateral circulation. In the worst case, the testis must be "auto-transplanted" into the scrotum, with all connecting blood vessels cut and reconnected ("anastomosed").
When the testis is in the abdomen, the first stage of surgery is exploration to locate it, assess its viability, and determine the safest way to maintain or establish the blood supply. Multi-stage surgeries, or autotransplantation and anastomosis, are more often necessary in these situations. Just as often, intra-abdominal exploration discovers that the testis is non-existent ("vanished"), or dysplastic and not salvageable.
The principal major complication of all types of orchiopexy is a loss of the blood supply to the testis, resulting in loss of the testis due to ischemic atrophy or fibrosis.
Cryptorchidism is rarer in cats than it is in dogs. In one study 1.9% of intact male cats were cryptorchid. Persians are predisposed. Normally the testicles are in the scrotum by the age of six to eight weeks. Male cats with one cryptorchid testicle may still be fertile; however, male cats with two cryptorchid testicles are most likely to be sterile. Urine spraying is one indication that a cat with no observable testicles may not be neutered; other signs are the presence of enlarged jowls, thickened facial and neck skin, and spines on the penis (which usually regress within six weeks after castration). Most cryptorchid cats present with an inguinal testicle.
Testicular tumors and testicular torsion are rare in cryptorchid cats, but castration is usually performed due to unwanted behavior such as urine spraying.
Persistent Müllerian duct syndrome (PMDS) is the presence of Müllerian duct derivatives (fallopian tubes, uterus, and/or the upper part of the vagina) in what would be considered a genetically and otherwise physically normal male animal by typical human based standards. In humans, PMDS typically is due to an autosomal recessive congenital disorder and is considered by some to be a form of pseudohermaphroditism due to the presence of Müllerian derivatives.
Typical features include undescended testes (cryptorchidism) and the presence of a small, underdeveloped uterus in an XY infant or adult. This condition is usually caused by deficiency of fetal anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) effect due to mutations of the gene for AMH or the anti-Müllerian hormone receptor, but may also be as a result of insensitivity to AMH of the target organ.
Vaginal hypoplasia is estimated to occur in 1 in 4,000–5,000 live female births. It is often unnoticed until adolescence when pain and a lack of menstrual flow indicates the condition.
Individuals with CAIS are raised as females. They are born phenotypically female and almost always have a heterosexual female gender identity; the incidence of homosexuality in women with CAIS is thought to be less than unaffected women. However, at least two case studies have reported male gender identity in individuals with CAIS.
Sertoli cell only syndrome is like other non-obstructive azoospermia (NOA) cases are managed by sperm retrieval through testicular sperm extraction (mTESE), micro-surgical testicular sperm extraction (mTESE), or testicular biopsy. On retrieval of viable sperm this could be used in Intracytoplasmic Sperm injection ICSI
In 1979, Levin described germinal cell aplasia with focal spermatogenesis where a variable percentage of seminiferous tubules contain germ cells. It is important to discriminate between both in view of ICSI.
A retrospective analysis performed in 2015 detailed the outcomes of N=148 men with non-obstructive azoospermia and diagnosed Sertoli cell-only syndrome:
- Men with SCOS: 148
- Testicular sperm was successfully retrieved: 35/148
- Successful ICSI: 20/148
- Clinical pregnancy: 4/148
This study considers the effect of FSH levels on clinical success, and it excludes abnormal karyotypes. All patients underwent MD-TESE in Iran. Ethnicity and genetic lineage may have an impact on treatment of azoospermia [citation needed].
Management of AIS is currently limited to symptomatic management; methods to correct a malfunctioning androgen receptor protein that result from an AR gene mutation are not currently available. Areas of management include sex assignment, genitoplasty, gonadectomy in relation to tumor risk, hormone replacement therapy, and genetic and psychological counseling.
Patients with a unicornuate uterus may need special attention during pregnancy as pregnancy loss, fetal demise, premature birth, and malpresentation are more common. It is unproven that cerclage procedures are helpful.
A pregnancy in a rudimentary horn cannot be saved and needs to be removed with the horn to prevent a potentially fatal rupture of the horn and uterus.
Although it is unclear whether interventions before conception or early in pregnancy such as resection of the rudimentary horn and prophylactic cervical cerclage decidedly improve obstetrical outcomes, current practice suggests that such interventions may be helpful.
A septum can be resected with surgery. Hysteroscopic removal of a uterine septum is generally the preferred method, as the intervention is relatively minor and safe in experienced hands. A follow-up imaging study should demonstrate the removal of the septum.
Tactile cold scissor metroplasty was described as a back technique for hysteroscopic challenges that interfere with proper visualization or uterine distention
It is not considered necessary to remove a septum that has not caused problems, especially in women who are not considering pregnancy. There is controversy over whether a septum should be removed prophylactically to reduce the risk of pregnancy loss prior to a pregnancy or infertility treatment.
A number of twin gestations have occurred where each uterus carried its pregnancy separately. A recent example occurred on February 26, 2009, when Sarah Reinfelder of Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan delivered two healthy, although seven weeks premature, infants by cesarean section at Marquette General Hospital. It is possible that the deliveries occur at different times, thus the delivery interval could be days or even weeks.
The occurrence of all types of paramesonephric duct abnormalities in women is estimated around 0.4%.
A bicornuate uterus is estimated to occur in 0.1-0.5% of women in the U.S.
It is possible that this figure is an underestimate, since subtle abnormalities often go undetected. Some intersex individuals whose external genitalia are perceived as being male may nonetheless have a variably shaped uterus.
In the United States, uterus didelphys is reported to occur in 0.1–0.5% of women. It is difficult to know the exact occurrence of this anomaly, as it may go undetected in the absence of medical and reproductive complications.
Most studies are based on populations of women who have experienced a pregnancy loss and thus do not address the issue of the prevalence in the general population. A screening study by Woelfer et al. of women without a history of reproductive problems found that about 3% of women had a uterine septation; the most common anomaly in their study was an arcuate uterus (5%), while 0.5% were found to have a bicornuate uterus. In contrast, in about 15% of patients with recurrent pregnancy loss anatomical problems are thought to be causative with the septate uterus as the most common finding.
XX males are sterile due to low or no sperm content and there is currently no treatment to address this infertility. Genital ambiguities, while not necessary to treat for medical reasons, can be treated through the use of hormonal therapy, surgery, or both. Since XX male syndrome is variable in its presentation, the specifics of treatment varies widely as well. In some cases gonadal surgery can be performed to remove partial or whole female genitalia. This may be followed by plastic and reconstructive surgery to make the individual appear more externally male. Conversely, the individual may wish to become more feminine and feminizing genitoplasty can be performed to make the ambiguous genitalia appear more female. Hormonal therapy may also aid in making an individual appear more male or female.
Most studies of uterine malformations are based on populations of women who have experienced a pregnancy loss and thus do not address the issue of the prevalence in the general population. A screening study by Woelfer et al. of women without a history of reproductive problems found that about 5% of women had an arcuate uterus when they defined an arcuate uterus any fundal protrusion into the cavity that had an apical angle of more than 90 degrees. Accordingly, it was the most common uterine anomaly, followed by septate uterus (3%) and bicornuate uterus (0.5%).
Although rare, this condition is often treatable with surgery. In most cases, the blind hemivagina is opened, and the fluid drained.