title: Scanning electron microscopy and human sperm pathology.
abstract: This paper has been carried out in order to inquire whether some of the best known human malformations can be recognized by scanning electron microscopy. The SEM appearance of "straight tailed", "empty tailed", "short tailed", "round headed", "double", "old" human spermatozoa is described, and related to the inner structure. Straight tails and empty tails are quite evident at SEM. These defects are due to severe axonemal defects, related to dynein and tubulin deficiencies: "9+0", "arm less" and "axoneme less" spermatozoa are included in this category. Short tails and round heads are still more evident defects, due to complete absence of tail structures or acrosome and easily recognizable at SEM. Double spermatozoa are consistently in patients having abnormally high prolactin level and SEM is obviously sufficient for the diagnosis. Finally, spermatozoa in aged individuals show in SEM a peculiar shape due to absence of immature stages, reduced cytoplasm, disordered axoneme. It is concluded that SEM examination is a good tool for the identification of most of the best known human sperm abnormalities.
mesh_terms: D004586:Electrophoresis; D006801:Humans; D007248:Infertility, Male / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D008855:Microscopy, Electron, Scanning / Q000379:methods; D013081:Sperm Motility; D013094:Spermatozoa / Q000002:abnormalities* / Q000648:ultrastructure