Dyspermia and testicular artery peak systolic velocity.
OBJECTIVE
To compare reliability of peak systolic velocity (PSV), end diastolic velocity (EDV), resistivity index (RI) of testicular arteries, folliculostimulating hormone (FSH) and testicular volume in the differential diagnosis of dyspermias.


METHODS
Testicle volume, FSH, PSV, EDV, and RI were compared with analysis of variance among the following patients or controls: 9 obstructive azoospermic (OA), 20 non obstructive (NOA), 17 oligoasthenospermic varicoceles + male accessory glands inflammation (MAGI), 38 undetermined oligoasthenospermic, 19 MAGI, 11 varicoceles, 32 subjects with normal sperm analysis who recently fathered (fertile controls), and 15 subjects with normal sperm analysis with varicocele who recently fathered.


RESULTS
Only PSV and RI proved to be selective for the different classes of patients, while EDV, FSH and testicle volume did not. Varicoceles, varicoceles + MAGI and fertile varicoceles showed the highest PSV and RI; fertile controls, OAs and MAGIs displayed similar PSV and RI; undetermined patients displayed significantly lower PSV and RI, NOAs' PSV and RI proved to be the lowest.


CONCLUSIONS
RI and PSV proved to be a reliable tool to be routinely used in the clinical study of infertile/dyspermic males, whereas EDV, FSH and testicle volume did not.
Biagiotti
Giulio
G
Reproductive Medicine Unit, Società Italiana Studi di Medicina della Riproduzione (S.I.S.ME.R), Bologna, Italy.
Vitali
Giovanni
G
Cavallini
Giorgio
G
D000328:Adult; D001158:Arteries; D001783:Blood Flow Velocity; D006801:Humans; D007248:Infertility, Male / Q000503:physiopathology*; D008297:Male; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D013599:Systole; D013737:Testis / Q000098:blood supply* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D014655:Vascular Resistance