Predictors of delayed consultation in undescended testis patients at a Rwandan referral hospital

Purpose: To identify the causes of delayed consultation of patients with undescended testis (UDT) at a Rwandan referral hospital. Methods: This was a retrospective descriptive study of patients with delayed UDT from 2012 – 2016. Delayed UDT was defined as any patient presenting with UDT at >1 year of age. Relevant data was extracted from patients’ files. Results: Over the study period, there were 44 cases of delayed presentation of UDT. Most patients (n=35, 80%) were born at a hospital and 9 (21%) were born at home. Most (n=29, 65%) parents had primary level of education, 6 (14%) secondary level, 1 (2%) university level, and 8 (18%) never went to school.Overall, 16 (36%) patients reported that they delayed due to ignorance, 12 (27%) due to poor physical examination at birth, 7 (16%) due to poor guidance, 4 (9%) due to poverty and 5 (11%) due to long appointments. Patients born at home were more likely to identify ignorance as a reason for delayed presentation (p=0.007). Of the 16 patients who delayed due to ignorance, 12 parents had primary level of education and 3 had no education.Most (n=34, 77%) patients were fertile during their adulthood, but 9 (21%) presented with infertility and 1 (2%) presented with testicular torsion. Conclusion: A number of reasons are responsible for delayed consultation in patients with UDT including ignorance, poor physical examination at birth by physicians, poor guidance, and poverty. Most causes are preventable. Henceforth, urgent need for population awareness on UDT and collaboration between physicians is paramount for early consult and timely management.