Low Risk of Impaired Testicular Sertoli and Leydig Cell Functions in Boys with Isolated Hypospadias

Context: Isolated hypospadias may result from impaired testicular function or androgen end-organ defects or, alternatively, from hormone-independent abnormalities of morphogenetic events responsible for urethral seam.

Objective: The objective was to evaluate the relative prevalence of hormone-dependent etiologies in boys with isolated hypospadias.

Design, Patients, And Main Outcome Measures: We studied endocrine testicular capacity in 61 patients with isolated hypospadias and 28 with hypospadias associated with micropenis, cryptorchidism, or ambiguous genitalia. Serum anti-Müllerian hormone and inhibin B were used as Sertoli cell markers. A human chorionic gonadotropin test was performed to evaluate Leydig cell function.

Results: Testicular dysfunction was observed in 57.1% and androgen end-organ defects in 7.2% of patients with hypospadias associated with cryptorchidism, micropenis, or ambiguous genitalia. In the remaining 35.7%, the disorder was idiopathic. The presence of ambiguous genitalia predicted the existence of testicular or end-organ dysfunction with 81.8% specificity. Isolated hypospadias was associated in 14.8% of patients with testicular dysfunction and in 6.5% of cases with end-organ defects; in 78.7% of cases, the condition was idiopathic. The occurrence of isolated hypospadias ruled out the existence of testicular or end-organ disorders with 80.0% sensitivity. Altogether our data indicate that the risk for the existence of an underlying testicular or end-organ dysfunction is low in patients with isolated hypospadias (odds ratio, 0.13; 95% confidence interval, 0.05-0.36; P < 0.001).

Conclusions: Boys with isolated hypospadias are more likely to have normal endocrine testicular and androgen end-organ functions, suggesting that transient disruption of morphogenetic events in early fetal life may be the predominant underlying cause.