title: The role of ultrasonographically guided puncture of the human rete testis in the therapeutic management of nonobstructive azoospermia.
abstract: We attempted to characterize the cells collected from the rete testis via ultrasonographically guided puncture. Unilateral puncture of the rete testis was performed in nine men with obstructive azoospermia and 51 men with nonobstructive azoospermia. All the aspirated samples from the rete testis were observed via confocal scanning laser microscope and some of them after fluorescent in situ hybridization techniques. Then therapeutic testicular biopsy was performed in the punctured testis of each man. Spermatozoa were found in all rete testis samples and all biopsy samples from obstructed men. Twenty-two nonobstructed men demonstrated absence of spermatozoa in biopsy samples. Twenty-nine nonobstructed men showed spermatozoa in biopsy material and 24 of these men (82%) had demonstrated spermatozoa in rete testis samples. There were no significant differences in fertilization and cleavage rate between intracytoplasmic sperm injection trials using biopsy spermatozoa and rete testis spermatozoa both in obstructed and nonobstructed men. Considering that puncture of the rete testis does not reduce the volume of testicular parenchyma, is less invasive and apparently causes less detrimental effect on testicular vasculature than biopsy, puncture of rete testis is recommended as first line approach for the treatment of azoospermic men. If puncture is negative for spermatozoa in nonobstructed men, biopsy is indicated.
authors.affiliation: Department of Urology, Tottori University School of Medicine, 683 Yonago, Japan.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kaponis
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Yiannakis
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Tsoukanelis
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Tsalikis
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Tsabalas
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Baltogiannis
authors.forename: X
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Giannakopoulos
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Schrader
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Georgiou
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Yamamoto
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Kanakas
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Miyagawa
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Loutradis
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Touloupidis
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Sofikitis
mesh_terms: D001706:Biopsy / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D017404:In Situ Hybridization, Fluorescence; D008297:Male; D009845:Oligospermia / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy*; D011247:Pregnancy; D011256:Pregnancy Outcome; D012016:Reference Values; D012661:Semen / Q000166:cytology; D020554:Sperm Injections, Intracytoplasmic; D013081:Sperm Motility; D013737:Testis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology; D014463:Ultrasonography