title: The association between serum follicle-stimulating hormone levels and the success of microdissection testicular sperm extraction in patients with azoospermia.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the predictive power of luteinizing hormone (LH), follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), testosterone, testicular biopsy histology and male age were evaluated with respect to the success of sperm retrieval in a microdissection testicular sperm extraction (microTESE) procedure, pregnancy and live birth rates.
  
  
  METHODS
  We examined the data of 131 infertile men with non-obstructive azoospermia, who have undergone microTESE operation. The men were classified into two groups based on serum follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) levels ≤ 15 mIU/mL (group 1) and > 15 mIU/mL (group 2).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Group 1 consisted of 59 patients (mean age 36.2 ± 6.2 years) and group 2 consisted of 72 (mean age 38.8 ± 7.4 years) patients. Sperm retrieval and pregnancy rates were 66.1% and 16.9% in normal FSH group, respectively. These parameters were higher than those of men with FSH > 15 (43% and 8.3%, respectively). Only 128 patients had histopathological diagnosis. Sperm was retrieved from 12/30 (40%) patients with maturation arrest, 9/29 (31.03%) patients with seminiferous tubules atrophy, 14/40 (35%) patients with sertoli cell only syndrome and 13/13 (100%) of patients with hypospermatogenesis. There was no statistically significant difference in pathological diagnosis between pregnancy and live birth rates.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These results demonstrate that there is a significant difference with sperm retrieval, pregnancy rates and live birth rates comparing the FSH levels. Histopathological findings did not associate with successful microTESE, pregnancy rates and live birth rates.
authors.affiliation: Department of Urology, Turgut Ozal University, Faculty of Medicine, Ankara 06510, Turkey. doctorerol@yahoo.com.
authors.forename: Mehmet Erol
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Yildirim
authors.affiliation: Department of Urology, Balikesir University, Faculty of Medicine, Balikesir 10310, Turkey.
authors.forename: Akif
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Koc
authors.affiliation: Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Turgut Ozal University Faculty of Mediine, Ankara 06510, Turkey.
authors.forename: Ikbal Cekmen
authors.initials: IC
authors.lastname: Kaygusuz
authors.affiliation: Department of Urology, Yüksek Ihtisas Training and Research Hospital, Ankara 06520, Turkey.
authors.forename: Hüseyin
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Badem
authors.affiliation: Department of Urology, Turgut Ozal University, Faculty of Medicine, Ankara 06510, Turkey.
authors.forename: Omer Faruk
authors.initials: OF
authors.lastname: Karatas
authors.affiliation: Department of Urology, Turgut Ozal University, Faculty of Medicine, Ankara 06510, Turkey.
authors.forename: Ersin
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Cimentepe
authors.affiliation: Department of Urology, Hacettepe University Faculty of Medicine, Ankara 06520, Turkey.
authors.forename: Dogan
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Unal
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D053713:Azoospermia / Q000097:blood* / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy; D001706:Biopsy; D005260:Female; D005640:Follicle Stimulating Hormone / Q000097:blood*; D006801:Humans; D050498:Live Birth; D008297:Male; D042282:Microdissection; D008875:Middle Aged; D009845:Oligospermia / Q000473:pathology; D011247:Pregnancy; D018873:Pregnancy Rate; D054331:Sertoli Cell-Only Syndrome / Q000473:pathology; D053625:Sperm Retrieval; D013737:Testis / Q000473:pathology
chemical_list: D005640:Follicle Stimulating Hormone