title: Accu-Beads as a quality control measure for manual and automated methods of measuring sperm concentration-an observational study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine the precision and accuracy of Accu-Beads and their utility as a quality control product for manual and automated measurements of sperm concentration.
  
  
  METHODS
  This observational study was performed at an Assisted Reproductive Technology laboratory in a tertiary-care, university hospital. To simulate sperm concentration, bead concentrations were measured with the use of a manual and an automated method.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The manual counts did not vary significantly from the automated counts regardless of the concentration. However, the counts did vary between lots of low concentration of Accu-Beads and between the two different types of fixed counting chambers. The two bead concentrations used in this study were below the 95 % confidence interval for the values listed by the manufacturer.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In our laboratory, Accu-Beads met enough of the requirements of a good control material to be acceptable for daily quality control use, especially if we set our own ranges of acceptability for each vial of Accu-Beads. It is necessary to evaluate each new lot of Accu-Beads when they are received and again if they are used with a different counting chamber.
authors.affiliation: Medical Experience Academy, Greenville Health System, Greenville, SC, USA.
authors.forename: Darian D
authors.initials: DD
authors.lastname: Vernon
authors.forename: Jane E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Johnson
authors.forename: Angela M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Houwing
authors.forename: H Lee
authors.initials: HL
authors.lastname: Higdon
authors.forename: William R
authors.initials: WR
authors.lastname: Boone
mesh_terms: D057205:Automation, Laboratory / Q000592:standards; D002469:Cell Separation / Q000379:methods / Q000592:standards; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008863:Microspheres; D011786:Quality Control; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D013076:Sperm Count / Q000379:methods* / Q000592:standards*