Orchidometer
Orchidometer
The Orchidometer (pronounced: /ɔːrˈkɪdɒmɪtər/) is a medical instrument used to measure the volume of the testicles. The name is derived from the Ancient Greek words "orchis" meaning testicle and "metron" meaning measure.
History
The Orchidometer was invented by Swiss pediatric endocrinologist Andrea Prader in the mid-20th century. It is also known as Prader's Orchidometer after its inventor.
Description
The Orchidometer consists of a string of twelve numbered wooden or plastic beads of increasing size from about 1 to 25 milliliters. Doctors compare the size of the patient's testicles to the beads to determine their volume. The Orchidometer is a more practical, non-invasive, and inexpensive alternative to other methods such as ultrasound or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).
Usage
The Orchidometer is primarily used in pediatric and adolescent medicine to assess the stage of puberty according to the Tanner scale. It can also be used to identify conditions such as testicular atrophy or cryptorchidism.
Related Terms
- Andrology: The medical specialty that deals with male health, particularly relating to the problems of the male reproductive system.
- Endocrinology: The branch of biology and medicine dealing with the endocrine system, its diseases, and its specific secretions known as hormones.
- Testicle: The male gonad in animals. Like the ovaries to which they are homologous, testicles are components of both the reproductive system and the endocrine system.
External links
- Medical encyclopedia article on Orchidometer
- Wikipedia's article - Orchidometer
This WikiMD dictionary article is a stub. You can help make it a full article.
Languages: - East Asian
中文,
日本,
한국어,
South Asian
हिन्दी,
Urdu,
বাংলা,
తెలుగు,
தமிழ்,
ಕನ್ನಡ,
Southeast Asian
Indonesian,
Vietnamese,
Thai,
မြန်မာဘာသာ,
European
español,
Deutsch,
français,
русский,
português do Brasil,
Italian,
polski