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. 2025 Jun 18;35(1):24.
doi: 10.1186/s12610-025-00267-0.

Seminal vesicle status and its association with semen parameters in congenital bilateral absence of the vas deferens (CBAVD)

Iman Shamohammadi  1 , Abdolreza Haghpanah  1 , Ali Eslahi  1 , Mohammad Ali Sadighi Gilani  2 , Ali Adib  3 , Seyyed Sadra Kashfi  4
Affiliations

Seminal vesicle status and its association with semen parameters in congenital bilateral absence of the vas deferens (CBAVD)

Iman Shamohammadi et al. Basic Clin Androl. .

Abstract
in English, French

Background: Congenital bilateral absence of the vas deferens (CBAVD) is a rare condition associated with male infertility. CBAVD is often accompanied by other genitourinary anomalies, including abnormalities or agenesis of the seminal vesicles and kidneys. While it is expected that CBAVD always coexists with seminal vesicle agenesis due to a shared embryologic origin, some studies report the presence of seminal vesicles in certain CBAVD patients. This study aims to assess the status of seminal vesicles in CBAVD patients and explore the relationship between seminal vesicle presence and semen parameters.

Methods: In this multi-center, retrospective cross-sectional study, we reviewed data from 47 CBAVD patients diagnosed between 1994 and 2024. Data collected included demographic information (age, height, weight, BMI), physical examination findings (vas palpation), and imaging results (trans-rectal ultrasound for seminal vesicle status, abdominal and pelvic ultrasound for kidney status). Laboratory data included serum FSH, LH, and testosterone levels, as well as semen analysis results (pH, fructose, and volume). Patients were classified into three groups based on seminal vesicle status: bilateral agenesis, unilateral agenesis, and bilateral presence.

Results: Among the 47 CBAVD patients, 29 had bilateral agenesis of the seminal vesicles, 9 had unilateral agenesis, and 9 had bilateral presence. No significant differences were found between the groups regarding weight, height, BMI, or serum levels of LH, FSH, and testosterone. Additionally, semen analysis revealed that 89.4% of patients had abnormal pH, 93.6% had abnormal volume, and all patients had abnormal semen fructose. There were no significant differences between the groups in semen pH, fructose, or volume.

Conclusion: Our findings suggest that the presence or absence of seminal vesicles in CBAVD patients does not significantly affect semen parameters. This may be due to dysfunction of the seminal vesicles in those with a present organ.

RéSUMé: CONTEXTE: L’absence bilatérale congénitale du canal déférent (CBAVD) est une maladie rare associée à l’infertilité masculine. La CBAVD s’accompagne souvent d’autres anomalies génito-urinaires, notamment des anomalies ou une agénésie des vésicules séminales, et des reins. Bien que l’on s’attende à ce que la CBAVD coexiste toujours avec l’agénésie des vésicules séminales en raison d’une origine embryologique partagée, certaines études rapportent leur présence chez certains patients atteints de CBAVD. Cette étude vise à évaluer l’état des vésicules séminales chez les patients atteints de CBAVD et à explorer la relation entre présence de vésicules séminales et paramètres du sperme. RéSULTATS: Dans cette étude transversale rétrospective multicentrique, nous avons examiné les données de 47 patients atteints de CBAVD diagnostiqués entre 1994 et 2024. Les données comprenaient des informations démographiques (âge, taille, poids), les résultats de l’examen physique (palpation du canal) et les résultats d’imagerie (échographie transrectale pour l’état des vésicules séminales, échographie abdominale et pelvienne pour l’état rénal). Les données de laboratoire comprenaient les taux sériques de FSH, LH et testostérone, ainsi que les résultats d’analyse du sperme. Les patients ont été classés en trois groupes en fonction de l’état de la vésicule séminale: agénésie bilatérale, agénésie unilatérale et présence bilatérale. Parmi les 47 patients atteints de CBAVD, 29 présentaient une agénésie bilatérale des vésicules séminales, 9 une agénésie unilatérale et 9 une présence bilatérale. Aucune différence significative n’a été observée entre les groupes en ce qui concerne le poids, la taille, l’IMC ou les taux sériques de LH, de FSH et de testostérone. L’analyse du sperme a révélé que 89% des patients avaient un pH anormal, 94% un volume anormal, et tous les patients avaient un fructose anormal. Absence de différences significatives entre les groupes en ce qui concerne le pH du sperme, le fructose ou le volume. CONCLUSIONS: Nos résultats suggèrent que la présence ou l’absence de vésicules séminales chez les patients atteints de CBAVD n’affecte pas de manière significative les paramètres du sperme. Cela peut être dû à un dysfonctionnement des vésicules séminales chez les personnes qui ont cet organe présent.

Keywords: CBAVD; Infertility; Seminal vesicle; Vas deferens.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declarations. Ethics approval and consent to participate: Ethical approval was obtained from the Human Research Ethics Committee at the Shiraz university of medical sciences. All study participants provided written informed consent. Permission was also obtained to digitally record all interviews. informed consent from legally authorized representatives for study participation for illiterate participants. Confidentiality and anonymity were ensured. The ethics committee approved the procedure for verbal consent since the study is observational and respected the code of ethics as stated in the declarations of Helsinki. Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
TRUS images of two CBAVD patients. The left side shows bilateral presence of SV indicated by arrows, while the right side shows bilateral absence of SV
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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