Section of Endocrinology, Andrology and Internal Medicine and Master's Program in Andrological, Human Reproduction and Biotechnology Sciences, Department of Internal Medicine and Systemic Diseases, University of Catania, Catania 95123, Italy.
Asian J Androl. 2011 Nov;13(6):872-6. doi: 10.1038/aja.2011.47. Epub 2011 Aug 1.
The aim of this study was to evaluate the ultrasound characteristics of the seminal vesicles (SVs) of infertile patients with diabetes mellitus (DM) and diabetic neuropathy (DN) and to investigate possible changes in ultrasound characteristics related to glycaemic control. To accomplish this, 45 infertile patients with type 2 DM and symptomatic DN were selected. Twenty healthy fertile men and 20 patients with idiopathic oligoasthenoteratozoospermia without DM represented the control groups. DM patients were arbitrarily divided into three groups according to glycaemic control level (A=glycosylated haemoglobin <7%; B=glycosylated haemoglobin between 7% and 10%; C=glycosylated haemoglobin >10%). Patients underwent prostate-vesicular transrectal ultrasonography and sperm analysis. The following SV ultrasound parameters were recorded: (i) body antero-posterior diameter (APD); (ii) fundus APD; (iii) parietal thicknesses of the right and left SVs; and (iv) the number of polycyclic areas within both SVs. We then calculated the following parameters: (i) fundus/body (F/B) ratio; (ii) difference of the parietal thickness between the right and the left SV; and (iii) pre- and post-ejaculatory APD difference. All DM patients had a higher F/B ratio compared to controls (P<0.05). Group C had a higher F/B ratio compared to the other DM groups (P<0.05). All DM patients had a lower pre- and post-ejaculatory difference of the body SV APD compared to controls (P<0.05). Groups A and B had a similar pre- and post-ejaculatory difference of the body SV APD, whereas this difference was lower in Group C (P<0.05). In conclusion, infertile DM patients with DN showed peculiar SV ultrasound features suggestive of functional atony, and low glycaemic control was associated with greater expression of these features.
本研究旨在评估患有糖尿病（DM）和糖尿病神经病变（DN）的不育患者的精囊（SV）的超声特征，并探讨与血糖控制相关的超声特征的可能变化。为此，选择了 45 名患有 2 型 DM 和有症状 DN 的不育患者。20 名健康有生育能力的男性和 20 名患有特发性少弱精子症且无 DM 的患者作为对照组。DM 患者根据血糖控制水平任意分为三组（A=糖化血红蛋白<7%；B=糖化血红蛋白 7%~10%；C=糖化血红蛋白>10%）。所有患者均行前列腺-精囊经直肠超声检查和精子分析。记录以下 SV 超声参数：（i）SV 体前后径（APD）；（ii）SV 底 APD；（iii）SV 左右壁的壁厚度；以及（iv）SV 内多环区域的数量。然后计算以下参数：（i）SV 底/体（F/B）比值；（ii）SV 左右壁厚度差值；（iii）射精前和射精后 SV APD 差值。所有 DM 患者的 F/B 比值均高于对照组（P<0.05）。C 组的 F/B 比值高于其他 DM 组（P<0.05）。所有 DM 患者的射精前和射精后 SV APD 差值均低于对照组（P<0.05）。A 组和 B 组的射精前和射精后 SV APD 差值相似，而 C 组的差值较低（P<0.05）。总之，患有 DN 的不育 DM 患者表现出 SV 超声特征异常，提示功能弛缓，血糖控制不佳与这些特征的表达更为相关。
