Novel parameters of human sperm hypoosmotic swelling test and their correlation to standard spermatogram, total motile sperm fraction, and sperm penetration assay.
OBJECTIVE
To improve the accuracy of human sperm hypoosmotic swelling test by introducing new morphological evaluation parameters for this test.


METHODS
Individual semen samples were processed, and the standard spermatogram, total motile sperm fraction, sperm penetration assay (SPA), and hypoosmotic swelling test were performed.


METHODS
Male infertility clinic and andrologic laboratory in a university medical center.


METHODS
One hundred eighteen subfertile men undergoing an infertility work-up.


METHODS
The results of hypoosmotic swelling test were subdivided into four groups (hypoosmotic swelling test 1, 2, 3, 4) according to the different shapes of hypoosmotically affected spermatozoa tails.


RESULTS
The hypoosmotic swelling test 3 had the best correlation with the different sperm parameters: motility, total motile sperm fraction, concentration, and SPA. The hypoosmotic swelling test 1 showed a satisfactory interrelation for concentration and for total motile sperm fraction but no correlation for motility and SPA. The hypoosmotic swelling test 2 and the hypoosmotic swelling test 4 demonstrated no correlation at all with motility, concentration, morphology and SPA.


CONCLUSIONS
The precision of hypoosmotic swelling test may be improved by using the hypoosmotic swelling test 3 type of spermatozoa tail shape as the parameter for a normally functioning spermatozoa.
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Hebrew University Hadassah Medical Center, Jerusalem, Israel.
N
N
Mordel
I
I
Dano
M
M
Epstein-Eldan
A
A
Shemesh
J G
JG
Schenker
N
N
Laufer
D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009994:Osmolar Concentration; D012044:Regression Analysis; D013081:Sperm Motility; D013084:Sperm-Ovum Interactions; D013094:Spermatozoa / Q000166:cytology*