Evaluation of seminiferous tubule scores obtained through testicular biopsy examinations of nonobstructive azoospermic men

Abstract

Objective: To evaluate the seminiferous tubules of nonobstructive azoospermic men, a modified version of the Johnsen score known as the seminiferous tubule score was used.

Design: Retrospective clinical study.

Setting: University-based urology center.

Patients: One hundred twenty-eight infertile men with nonobstructive azoospermia who underwent open testicular biopsy.

Intervention(s): Categorization as follows of various seminiferous tubule characteristics according to the modified seminiferous tubule score parameters: [1] a total absence of cells within the seminiferous tubule, [2] Sertoli cell only, [3] a few spermatogonia, [4] many spermatogonia, [5] a few primary spermatocytes, [6] many primary spermatocytes, [7] a few secondary spermatocytes, [8] many secondary spermatocytes, [9] a few round spermatids, [10] many round spermatids, [11] a few late spermatids and/or spermatozoa, and [12] many late spermatids and/or spermatozoa.

Main outcome measure(s): Seminiferous tubule score.

Result(s): In terms of maximum seminiferous tubule score, scores of 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, and 12 corresponded with total patient numbers of 9, 90, 0, 0, 3, 10, 0, 0, 3, 1, 11, and 1, respectively.

Conclusion(s): It was discovered that intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) of round spermatids could be performed in 3.1% of the patients in this study and that ICSI using late spermatids or spermatozoa could be performed in 9.4% of the patients in order to achieve fertilization.