Serum inhibin B and anti-Müllerian hormone are not superior to follicle-stimulating hormone as predictors of the presence of sperm in testicular fine-needle aspiration in men with azoospermia.
OBJECTIVE
To compare FSH, inhibin B (INHB), and anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) as predictors of the recovery of sperm in testicular fine-needle aspiration biopsy (FNA) performed in men with azoospermia.


METHODS
Cross-sectional, clinical study.


METHODS
Academic Unit of Reproductive Endocrinology.


METHODS
Fifty-one men with azoospermia and 31 controls.


METHODS
Testicular FNA.


METHODS
Serum FSH, INHB, and AMH levels.


RESULTS
Clinical diagnoses in men with azoospermia were idiopathic nonobstructive azoospermia (n = 34, 67%), cryptorchidism (n = 4, 8%), varicocele (n = 3, 6%), and other diagnoses (n = 10, 16%). In pairwise comparison of receiver operating characteristic curves, none of FSH (area under curve 0.716), INHB (0.610), AMH (0.565), or volume of the larger testis (0.693) was proved to be superior to the others as predictor of sperm retrieval during an FNA procedure. Similarly, in a logistic regression analysis, none of FSH, AMH, INHB, or volume of the larger testis could predict presence of sperm in FNA.


CONCLUSIONS
Serum INHB and AMH, as well as their combination, are not superior to FSH as predictors of the presence of sperm in testicular FNA in men with azoospermia and should not be used for this purpose.
Goulis
Dimitrios G
DG
First Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Unit of Reproductive Endocrinology, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece. dimitrios.goulis@otenet.gr
Tsametis
Christos
C
Iliadou
Paschalia K
PK
Polychronou
Paris
P
Kantartzi
Persefoni-Dimitra
PD
Tarlatzis
Basil C
BC
Bontis
Ioannis N
IN
Papadimas
Ioannis
I
D000328:Adult; D054304:Anti-Mullerian Hormone / Q000097:blood*; D053713:Azoospermia / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000473:pathology; D044963:Biopsy, Fine-Needle; D003456:Cryptorchidism / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000473:pathology; D005640:Follicle Stimulating Hormone / Q000097:blood*; D006801:Humans; D007265:Inhibins / Q000097:blood*; D008297:Male; D011379:Prognosis; D012372:ROC Curve; D053625:Sperm Retrieval; D013094:Spermatozoa / Q000473:pathology; D014646:Varicocele / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000473:pathology
C422364:inhibin B; D007265:Inhibins; D054304:Anti-Mullerian Hormone; D005640:Follicle Stimulating Hormone