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EQUINE VETERINARY EDUCATION / AE / MARCH 2016


Fig 2: Composite of example longitudinal images obtained using a 4 MHz curvilinear ultrasound probe of the inguinal area in 6 different cryptorchid horses with no palpable evidence of a testis, cranial to the right. Inguinal testes were visible in all, large white arrows. The size and depth was variable. Note that the abdominal wall with small intestine deep to it was often clearly visible (small arrows).


100% in 38 horses (Schambourg et al. 2006). Clearly, our simplified method of ultrasound scanning would also diagnose a normal gelding as an abdominal cryptorchid. Therefore where neither testis present, a blood test should be performed beforehand to prove testicular tissue is present. The ratio of inguinal to abdominal testis retention was


2:1, in accordance with 2 earlier reviews of 500 and 205 horses respectively (Cox et al. 1979; Coryn et al. 1981). Contrary to this finding, Stickle and Fessler (1978) found that 59.4% of retained testes were abdominal in 350 horses,


© 2015 EVJ Ltd


despite similar ages at presentation. Hartman et al. (2015) had a similar proportion in 601 horses, namely 59% abdominal. We found an almost identical distribution of abdominal and inguinal left and right testes; whereas other studies have shown large differences, e.g. 75% of left undescended testes abdominal compared to only 42% of right testes (Stickle and Fessler 1978). Both breed and age have been shown to have a very great effect on the side and location of cryptorchid testes. Rules of thumb based on retrospective reviews are therefore a very unreliable method


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