Perspective on the paper by Hack et al (see page 17) The abnormal position of the testis is the most common congenital anomaly of genitalia in men, with two different periods of presentation: either early in life, commonly called congenital undescended testes, or a few years later, called acquired or ascending testes. In the second group, it seems that the testis has been positioned properly at an early stage of growth, but has subsequently left its normal scrotal position to occupy the inguinal area. This group is quite controversial, as some authors considered these cases to be misdiagnoses owing to an error in physical examination.1 The cumulative experience of qualified examiners, however, suggests that this is a real phenomenon,2 which explains the increasing proportion of orchidopexies performed in late infancy.3 Browne3 used to distinguish between the testicle that chose the wrong route (ectopic testis) and the somewhat lazy testicle that stopped on the normal route of …