[Serum anti-Müllerian hormone level for differential diagnosis of obstructive and non-obstructive azoospermia].

OBJECTIVE

To determine whether the serum anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) level can be used as a serum marker for the differential diagnosis of obstructive azoospermia (OA) and non-obstructive azoospermia (NOA).

METHODS

Using chemiluminescence immunoassay, we detected the levels of serum AMH, inhibin B (IhB) and follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) and measured by scrotal ultrasound the testis volume of 43 normal fertile men and 14 OA and 45 NOA male patients, followed by a comparative analysis of the data obtained among the three groups subjects.

RESULTS

Compared with the NOA patients, the men in the normal control and OA groups showed significantly higher levels of AMH (［5.65 ± 3.13］ vs ［8.13 ± 3.95］ and ［8.51 ± 4.77］ ng/ml, P < 0.05) and InH (［25.98±16.29］ vs ［127.38 ± 40.5］ and ［131.25 ± 52.3］ pg/ml, P < 0.01), but a lower level of FSH (［19.87 ± 13.09］ vs ［4.22 ± 3.23］ and ［4.54 ± 2.09］ IU/L, P < 0.01), none with statistically significant difference between the latter two groups (P > 0.05). Pearson correlation analysis exhibited that the level of IhB was correlated positively with that of AMH (r = 0.326, P = 0.01) but negatively with that of FSH (r =－0.662, P < 0.01), the FSH level negatively with the AMH level (r = －0.468, P < 0.01), the testis volume positively with the levels of AMH (r = 0.339, P < 0.01) and IhB (r = 0.733, P < 0.01) but negatively with that of FSH (r = 0.597, P < 0.01), the sperm concentration positively with that of IhB (r = 0.522, P < 0.01) but negatively with that of FSH (r = －0.421, P < 0.01), and the testis volume positively with the sperm concentration (r = 0.605, P < 0.01).

CONCLUSIONS

AMH can be used as one of the serum markers for testicular spermatogenesis and employed alone or in combination with IhB and FSH for the differential diagnosis of OA and NOA.