What is testicular atrophy?

➢ Atrophic changes similar to those in cryptorchid testes may be caused by other insults : o chronic ischemia o Trauma o irradiation o anti-neoplastic chemotherapy o conditions associated with chronically elevated estrogen levels (e.g., cirrhosis) ➢ Normal size early in life, but some degree of atrophy usually is evident by the onset of puberty ➢ Microscopically, tubular atrophy begins to appear by 5 to 6 years of age, and is usually advanced by the time of puberty