Statistical Evidence for Bimodal Age Distribution in Pediatric Orchiopexy: Support for Congenital and Acquired Cryptorchidism Subtypes
Year: 2025
Type: article
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: OBJECTIVE: This study aims to characterize the age distribution of orchiopexy procedures and assess whether bimodal patterns exist that may correlate with hypothesized congenital and acquired cryptorchidism subtypes. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We analyzed age-at-orchiopexy data from 659 consecutive patients (ages zero to 18 years) at a single tertiary pediatric center. Bimodality was assessed using (1) Hartigan's dip test for unimodality, (2) kernel density estimation with bootstrap mode stability analysis, and (3) Gaussian mixture modeling with information criterion-based model selection. RESULTS: The dip test decisively rejected unimodality (dip = 0.134, p < 0.001). Gaussian mixture modeling strongly favored a two-component model over unimodal (ΔBIC = 407.7). The optimal model identified an early component (mean = 1.31 years, SD = 0.80, weight = 54.2%) and a late component (mean = 6.28 years, SD = 3.35, weight = 45.8%), with an intersection at 3.8 years. Bootstrap analysis confirmed a stable bimodal structure. CONCLUSIONS: Age-at-orchiopexy demonstrates statistically robust bimodality, with early (1.31 years) and late (6.28 years) components. This bimodal pattern is consistent with, and may correlate with, clinically hypothesized congenital and acquired cryptorchidism subtypes, but it does not by itself prove distinct biological entities. The intersection at 3.8 years may offer a quantitative reference point for age-specific management strategies and surveillance protocols and should be interpreted as hypothesis-generating rather than prescriptive.
Source: Cureus
DOI: 10.7759/cureus.98672
Institution: Saitama Children's Medical Center
Language: English
Subfield: Surgery
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: diamond
OpenAlex ID: W4417103449