Other

Clinical Importance of Morphological Appearance of Seminiferous Tubules During MicroTESE in NOA Cases

  • A. H. Haliloglu
  • M. Akand
  • Ö. Yaman
  • Kaan Aydos

Turk J Obstet Gynecol 2005;2(4):316-320

Design: Clinical study. Setting: Research Center on Infertility, Ankara University; and Urology Department. Patients: 65 men with nonobstructive azoospermia (NOA). Interventions: Microscopical appearance of seminiferous tubules was recorded during TESE surgery. Differing from others, the largest opaque-white in color tubules were cut and removed. When all the tubules have no discriminating appearance, randomized biopsies were obtained. Removed tissue pieces were subjected to mechanical mincing under the stereomicroscope and then enzymatic digestion processes. Using inversion microscope (x32 magnification) spermatozoa were searched. Main Outcome Measures: Morphological appearance of seminiferous tubules under optical magnification, spermatozoa recovery rates and histopathological findings were compared. RESULTS: In cases of Sertoli cell-only syndrome (SCOS), maturation arrest, hypospermatogenesis and focal spermatogenesis TESE yielded at least one spermatozoon in 37%, 52%, 100% and 63% of the cases, respectively. When all the seminiferous tubules were homogenously swollen, histopathological diagnosis was hypospermatogenesis in 100% of the cases. Homogenously thin and transparent tubules corresponded to SCOS or maturation arrest in 90% and 10% of the cases, respectively. Mature spermatozoa recovery rates were 100% and zero in homogenously-swollen observed and homogenously-thin observed tubules, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Present data indicate that in cases of all tubules are homogenous in appearance and none of them can be discriminated from others, using microscope has no advantage in selection of the tubuli to be removed, but randomizely selection would also be sufficient. MicroTESE significantly increases the success in NOA cases with seminiferous tubules dispersed heterogeneously.

Keywords: microTESE, nonobstructive azoospermia, testicular biopsy