Mostafa Taymour, Bocu Kadir, Malhotra Vineet
Department of Andrology, Sexology and STIs, Faculty of Medicine, Cairo University, Cairo 11562, Egypt.
Department of Urology, Faculty of Medicine, Nigde Omer Halisdemir University, Nigde 51240, Türkiye.
Asian J Androl. 2025 May 1;27(3):370-374. doi: 10.4103/aja202454. Epub 2024 Aug 2.
One major challenge in male factor infertility is nonobstructive azoospermia (NOA), which is characterized by spermatozoa-deficient semen without physical duct blockage. This review offers a thorough overview of the histopathology of the testes in NOA cases, clarifying its complex etiology and emphasizing the possible value of histopathology inspection for both diagnosis and treatment. Variable histopathological findings have been linked to NOA, such as tubular hyalinization, Sertoli cell-only syndrome, hypospermatogenesis, and germ cell arrest. Understanding the pathophysiology and forecasting the effectiveness of treatment are further enhanced by both morphometric and ultrastructural analyses. The potential significance of testicular biopsy in forecasting reproductive outcomes is assessed, especially concerning assisted reproductive technologies like intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI). Besides, testicular microlithiasis, serum hormone profiles, and testicular size are investigated concerning NOA histopathology. It is concluded that understanding the histopathological patterns in NOA is crucial for its accurate diagnosis and appropriate management. Further research is still warranted to improve understanding of the complex pathophysiology underlying NOA.
男性因素不育症的一个主要挑战是非梗阻性无精子症(NOA),其特征是精液中缺乏精子且无物理性管道阻塞。本综述全面概述了NOA病例中睾丸的组织病理学,阐明了其复杂的病因,并强调了组织病理学检查在诊断和治疗方面的潜在价值。多种组织病理学发现与NOA有关,如小管玻璃样变、唯支持细胞综合征、精子发生低下和生殖细胞停滞。形态计量学和超微结构分析进一步增强了对病理生理学的理解并预测治疗效果。评估了睾丸活检在预测生殖结局方面的潜在意义,特别是与胞浆内单精子注射(ICSI)等辅助生殖技术有关的意义。此外,还针对NOA组织病理学研究了睾丸微石症、血清激素谱和睾丸大小。得出的结论是,了解NOA中的组织病理学模式对于其准确诊断和适当管理至关重要。仍需要进一步研究以增进对NOA潜在复杂病理生理学的理解。