Ooplasmic round spermatid nuclear injection procedures as an experimental treatment for nonobstructive azoospermia.
OBJECTIVE
Our objective was to apply ooplasmic round spermatid nuclear injections for the treatment of nonobstructive azoospermia.


METHODS
Participants were nine azoospermic men who had previously undergone diagnostic testicular biopsy. Spermatogenetic arrest was diagnosed at the round spermatid stage (n = 6) or primary spermatocyte stage (n = 3). A second (therapeutic) testicular biopsy was performed and round spermatid nuclei were recovered from all the participants.


RESULTS
Forty-nine mature oocytes were successfully injected with nuclei and then cultured for 72 hr. Twenty-four embryos were transferred to nine women. No pregnancy was achieved.


CONCLUSIONS
Round spermatids can be recovered from therapeutic testicular biopsy material of men negative for round spermatids in previous routine diagnostic testicular biopsy specimens. Round spermatid nuclear injections may play a role in the treatment of nonobstructive azoospermia.
Yamanaka
K
K
Department of Urology, Tottori University School of Medicine, Yonago, Japan.
Sofikitis
N V
NV
Miyagawa
I
I
Yamamoto
Y
Y
Toda
T
T
Antypas
S
S
Dimitriadis
D
D
Takenaka
M
M
Taniguchi
K
K
Takahashi
K
K
Tsukamoto
S
S
Kawamura
H
H
Neil
M
M
D000328:Adult; D002467:Cell Nucleus; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D004624:Embryo Transfer / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D005307:Fertilization in Vitro / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008845:Microinjections; D018613:Microscopy, Confocal; D008854:Microscopy, Electron; D009845:Oligospermia / Q000628:therapy*; D009865:Oocytes / Q000502:physiology; D011247:Pregnancy; D013087:Spermatids / Q000502:physiology* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D016896:Treatment Outcome