Flint M, du Plessis S S, Menkveld R
Division of Medical Physiology, Faculty of Health Sciences, Stellenbosch University, Tygerberg, South Africa.
Andrologia. 2014 Oct;46(8):837-41. doi: 10.1111/and.12157. Epub 2013 Sep 6.
With infertility challenges posing an obstacle to many couples, the extension of variables to assess male fertility is an important line of research. At the Reproductive Biology Unit where the study was undertaken, a considerable proportion of male patient's seeking fertility assessment presented with hyperviscous semen samples and elevated concentrations of leucocytes. Despite viscosity being included as part of a routine spermiogram, it raises a considerable amount of concern as it is assessed semiquantitatively. The study was undertaken to evaluate the quantification of semen viscosity in centipoise (cP) and to investigate whether a correlation exists between hyperviscosity and leucocytospermia. A total of 200 semen samples were assessed from a sample cohort of two population groups: 162 male patients undergoing fertility assessment and 38 volunteer donors. Semen viscosity was determined by measuring the filling time of a capillary-loaded Leja chamber and quantifying the viscosity in cP. Leucocytes were identified histochemically with a leucocyte peroxidase test. The viscosity when quantified in cP was significantly higher in the peroxidase positive sample group (9.01 ± 0.49 vs. 7.39 ± 0.23 cP; P < 0.005). The introduction of a more accurate method of quantifying viscosity may possibly help to identify, diagnose and treat patients suffering from leucocytospermia to ultimately enhance their fertility potential.
不孕症给许多夫妇带来了障碍，因此扩展评估男性生育能力的变量是一项重要的研究方向。在进行该研究的生殖生物学单位，相当一部分寻求生育能力评估的男性患者精液样本黏稠度高且白细胞浓度升高。尽管黏稠度被纳入常规精子图的一部分，但由于其采用半定量评估，引发了相当多的关注。本研究旨在评估以厘泊（cP）为单位的精液黏稠度定量，并调查高黏稠度与白细胞精子症之间是否存在相关性。从两个群体的样本队列中总共评估了200份精液样本：162名接受生育能力评估的男性患者和38名志愿捐献者。通过测量毛细管加载的莱贾腔的填充时间并以厘泊为单位定量黏稠度来确定精液黏稠度。用白细胞过氧化物酶试验进行组织化学鉴定白细胞。在过氧化物酶阳性样本组中，以厘泊为单位定量时的黏稠度显著更高（9.01±0.49 vs. 7.39±0.23 cP；P<0.005）。引入更准确的黏稠度定量方法可能有助于识别、诊断和治疗患有白细胞精子症的患者，最终提高他们的生育潜力。
