Evaluation of a disposable plastic Neubauer counting chamber for semen analysis.
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate whether disposable plastic counting chambers effectively could replace nondisposable, time-consuming, and potentially dangerous glass hemocytometers.


METHODS
Evaluation of equipment in modern laboratory andrology. Comparison of results obtained with plastic chambers with results obtained with "gold-standard" glass hemocytometer counts.


METHODS
Diagnostic laboratory for andrology.


METHODS
Twenty-one patients undergoing investigation for infertility problems.


METHODS
No interventions with patients; sperm in diluted semen samples were used when patients had allowed the use for research and training.


METHODS
Sperm concentration, difference from results obtained with standard equipment.


RESULTS
In the first three experimental series, with use of standard routine phase-contrast microscopy, significantly lower count results were obtained consistently from the plastic chambers than from standard chambers. In the fourth series, with use of specialized equipment, equivalent results were obtained but with a considerably greater time commitment because of difficulties in distinguishing sperm adjacent to the gridlines in the plastic chambers.


CONCLUSIONS
The plastic disposable chamber type was not suitable for routine semen analysis because results are variable depending on the microscope used, and increased time is necessary to do the assessment accurately.
Kirkman-Brown
Jackson
J
Centre for Human Reproductive Science, Birmingham Women's Health Care Trust, Division of Reproductive and Child Health, The Medical School, The University of Birmingham, Birmingham, West Midlands, United Kingdom.
Björndahl
Lars
L
D004209:Disposable Equipment; D004739:England; D004867:Equipment Design; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008422:Materials Testing; D008858:Microscopy, Phase-Contrast; D010969:Plastics; D011786:Quality Control; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D013076:Sperm Count / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000592:standards; D013548:Sweden
D010969:Plastics