Disorders of Sexual Differentiation and Surgical Corrections
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Marmara Medical Journal Volume 2 No: 5 April 1989 DISORDERS OF SEXUAL DIFFERENTIATION AND SURGICAL CORRECTIONS C. Ôzsoy, M.D.* / A. KadioÇlu, M.D.*** / H. Ander, M.D.** * Professor, Department of Urology, Istanbul Medical Faculty, Istanbul, Turkey. ** Associate Professor, Department of Urology, Istanbul Medical Faculty, Istanbul, Turkey. * * * Research Assistant, Department of Urology, Istanbul Medical Faculty, Istanbul, Turkey. SUMMARY Patients with ambiguous genitalia who applied to our ?). Developments in Cytogenetics and Radio-immu- clinic are investigated and they are classified as true no assay after 1950's provided the easy diagnosis of hermaphroditism, male and female pseudohermaph sexual differentiation disorders. roditism. Normal sexual differentiation: The normal human After chromosomal, psychological, hormonal, phe diploid cell contains 22 autosomal pairs of chromoso notypic and surgical evaluation, the final sex is de mes and 2 sex chromosomes. Except spermatozoon termined and appropriate reconstructive surgery is and oocyt normal human cell is diploid. The chromo performed. somal sex is determined at the time of fertilization. An XX female or male determined chromosomal sex, In six of our 18 patients we reassigned the female sex influences sexual differentiation by causing the bipo- to male. 2 of our 18 patients are true hermaphrodites tenlial gonad to develop either as a testis or as an (one being male and the other is female). 2 of them are ovary. female pseudohermaphrodites and 14 of them are male pseudohermaphrodites. 6 patients who under Until the 7th week of gestation the gonads are indis went sexual reassignment were male pseudoher- tinguishable. In the presence of Y chromosome or H- maphrodiles. Y antigen, which is located on the short arm of X chromosome, the medulla of gonads will begin testi In our opinion the most important aspect of sex reas cular differentiation. In the presence of XX chromo signment is psycho - sexual character. Phenotypic, somal pattern the gonads are destined to be an ovary. chromosomal or gonadal sex are of secondary impor The appearance of Sertoli cells is the earliest recogni tance in determining the final sex. zable event in testicular organogenesis. Lcydig cells are apparent about at the 8th week of gestation. Key words: Intcrscx-reassignment of the sex-treat ment In the absence of Y chromosome and H-Y antigen, if the zygote is XX after fertilization, the gonad diffe INTRODUCTION rentiates as an ovary. A significant number of germ Historically the term ambiguity of the external geni cells enter mciotic prophase to characterize the tran talia was known in the old Persia, Babel and Mesopo sition of oogonia into oocyts, which marks the onset tamia. Afterwards the bisexual god Hermaphrodilos of ovarian differentiation from the undifferentiated appeared in the Greck-mitos, and this term is still be gonads. ing used for people with ambiguous external genita lia. The normal fetus is equipped with miillcrian and wolffian ducts. The wolffian ducts have a potential of The first reports about ambiguous genitalia and its differentiating into the epididymis, vas deferens, se treatment were written by Turkish scientists Ibni Si- minal vesicles and ejaculatory ducts. The miillerian na (Avicenna 930-1037) and Sharaf cd-Din (1465- ducts form the uterine tubes, the uterus, and the upper 42 Mannar« Medical Journal Volume 2 No: 5 April 1989 third of the vagina. male types such as pure gonadal dysgenesis and mixed gonadal dysgenesis arc also described (4,5,6). In the presence of a testis, the miillcrian ducts involu Klinefelter syndrome, also known as seminiferous te under the influence of miillerian duct inhibitory tubule dysgenesis is one of the most common causes factor, a nonstcroid macromolecule secreted by Ser of infertility in males (7). The variants of this syndro toli cells. In the presence of an ovary or in the absence me have at least two X chromosomes. Variants such of a functional testis,-mUllcrian duct differentiation as XXX Y and XXYY arc also described. Azoosper occurs. mia, hypogonadism, small firm testes, gynecomastia are present. Differentiation of the external genitalia in males de pends on the action of testosterone and particularly True Hermaphroditism: dihydrotestosterone, the 5 alpha reduced metabolite True hermaphrodites have both ovarian and testicu of testosterone (1). Dihydrotestosterone stimulates lar tissue present in cither the same or opposite go the growth of the genital tubercle, fusion of the ureth nads. The ovoteslis is the most common gonad found ral folds and descent of the labioscrotal swellings to in true hermaphroditism. The external genitalia may form the penis and scrotum. simulate those of a male or female and inguinal her nia is usually present, and may contain a testis or an Impairment in the synthesis or secretion of fetal tes ovary. tosterone or its conversion into dihydrolcslostcronc, deficient or defective androgen receptor activity, or The differentiation of the internal genitalia usually defective production and local action of miillcrian follows the pattern expected for the gonads present. duct inhibitory factor cause to incomplete masculini- In patients with an ovotestes the female aspects of the zation of the male Ictus (1). internal duct development arc usually preserved. 60 % of true hermaphrodites have 46 XX karyotype. 46 There is an inherited tendency for the urogenital si XX+XY karyotype is also not infrequent. Hcraphro- nus to develop along female lines. The genital tuberc dilismus vera may result from mosaicism, cltime- le becomes the clitoris. The caudal part of the uroge rism, Y to X chromosome translocation or an autoso nital sinus forms the 2/3 lower part of the vagina. The mal mutant gene. urethral folds remain separate as the labia minora and the genital swellings form the labia majora. Male Pseudohermaphroditism: Male pseudohermaphrodites have gonads that are The adrenal steroidogenesis defect in the female cau testes and have X Y karyotype. The external genitalia ses an increase in the adrenal originated androgens in are not completely masculinized. Male pseudoher congenital adrenal hyperplasia and virilization (2). maphroditism may result from testicular agenesia, Androgen deficiency in the male fetus and increased testicular hypoplasia, failure in testosterone biosyn androgen levels in the female form ambiguous geni thesis or failure of target tissue response to androgen talia. Ambiguous genitalia also occurs due to anoma (androgen receptor disorders). » lies, chromosomal or genital disorders. Complete Testicular Feminization: Abnormal Sex differentiation can be classified as fol This type is characterized by female appearing exter lows: nal genitalia,a blind vaginal pouch, bilateral inguinal or abdominal testes, inguinal hernia and absent miil Gonadal differentiation disorders: lcrian dérivâtes. The patients are raised as females. Most of the gonadal differentiation disorders also At the puberty some of the patients may exhibite mild known as chromosomal disorders, which cause am virilisation and most of them have aincnorhea (8). biguity of external genitalia are the result of anomali es in sex chromosomes (3). Androgen resistance in target organs or presence of Meiotic nondisjunclion of the zygote or misfolding abnormal receptors characterize this sydromc. The of germinal cells during spermatogenesis or oogene scrum androgen levels are normal. Orchiectomy is sis cause gonadal disorders. Turner and Klinefelter indicated because of the increased risk of gonadal ne syndromes are examples of gonadal differentiation oplasms. Thereafter estrogen replacement is neces disorders. sary. Inheritance in all forms appears to be X lin ked. Apart from the classical type of Turner syndrome, 43 Mannara Medical Journal Volume 2 No: 5 April 1989 Incomplete Testicular Feminization: The masculinizalion of external genitalia is incomp It is inherited in autosomal recessive manner. In the lete. The labio-scrotal fusion is not complete and male the phallus may be enlarged. These patients can wolffian duct derivatives are also partially present. sh Gilbert Dreyfus and Reifenstein described patients It is inherited in autosomal recessive manner. In the with small phallus, hypospadias and pubertal.gyne male the phallus may be enlarged. These patients can comastia (9). The psychological sex character and show cortisol and aldosterone deficiency. The treat external genitalia influence the determination of ma ment of female pseudohermaphrodites depends on le sex character. the degree of virilization. In mildly virilized patients, steroid replacement and clitoridectomy is indicated Perineoscrotal-pseudovaginal hypospadias: is and in heavily virilized patients vaginoplasty is indi due to defective conversion of testosterone to dihy- cated. The male pattern requires only glucocorticoid drotestostcrone in the absence of 5 alpha-reductase. therapy. The external genitalia are not virilized. A blind vagi nal pouch is present. The miillerian structures are MATERIALS AND METHODS present. Serum testosterone level is normal, but dihy- 18 patients, with ambiguous genitalia, who applied to drolestosterone level is low. Istanbul Medical Faculty clinics, are discussed in this study. The patients are evaluated by age factor, geni Female Pseudohermaphroditism: tal examination, hormonal analysis, chromosomal a- These individuals have 46 XX karyotype and normal nalysis, psychosexual character, radiological