Rubinstein I, Mandarim-De-Lacerda C A
Service d'Urologie de l'Hôpital Universitaire Pedro Ernesto, Rio de Janeiro, Brasil.
J Urol (Paris). 1995;101(3):153-8.
The importance of abnormalities of function and epididymis structure in the etiology of male infertility is still not well understood. We studied 52 individuals distributed in five age groups: fetuses, children, adolescents, adults and the elderly. The region of the body of epididymis was obtained by autopsy and immediately fixed by immersion in a solution of 10% buffered formaldehyde, embedded in paraffin and histologically prepared. The samples were observed under an optic microscope. Test-points were counted in 12 random microscopic fields with the M42 test-system. The following stereological parameters were determined: ductal area, volumetric densities (Vv) of the duct, smooth muscle, connective tissue, epithelial duct and blood vessels. The main results distinguished by those whose averages were statistically significant (p < 0.05), showed that the ductal area is 9.7 times greater in the adolescent/adult/elderly group than the children's group. The Vv of the lumen of the epididymis duct occupies 11.7% of the epididymis body in the fetal period, 5.3% in the child and in individuals after puberty this figures reaches more than 15%. The Vv of smooth muscle occupies 28.3% of the body of the epididymis in the fetus and 35.9% in children, but after puberty this figures stays around 22%. The Vv of the connective tissue occupies 26% in prenatal life, 37% in children, and after puberty these figures range from 21 to 27.5%. Comparing the results of the adult group with that of the elderly group there is an increase in the volumetric density of the connective tissue by 18.1%. In conclusion, the epididymal duct area and the Vv of the ductal lumen, smooth muscle and connective tissue were significant comparing the different groups. However, the quantitative relative differences of the duct's epithelium and the blood vessels were not significant comparing these groups. The study of quantitative aspects of the normal human epididymis can increase our knowledge about male fertility.
附睾功能和结构异常在男性不育病因学中的重要性仍未得到充分理解。我们研究了52名分布在五个年龄组的个体：胎儿、儿童、青少年、成年人和老年人。通过尸检获取附睾体区域，并立即浸入10%缓冲甲醛溶液中固定，石蜡包埋并进行组织学制备。样本在光学显微镜下观察。使用M42测试系统在12个随机显微镜视野中计数测试点。确定了以下体视学参数：导管面积、导管、平滑肌、结缔组织、上皮导管和血管的体积密度（Vv）。以平均值具有统计学显著性（p < 0.05）的结果为主要区别，显示青少年/成年人/老年人组的导管面积比儿童组大9.7倍。附睾管腔的Vv在胎儿期占附睾体的11.7%，儿童期占5.3%，青春期后个体该数值超过15%。平滑肌的Vv在胎儿期占附睾体的28.3%，儿童期占35.9%，但青春期后该数值保持在22%左右。结缔组织的Vv在产前生活中占26%，儿童期占37%，青春期后这些数值在21%至27.5%之间。将成年组与老年组的结果进行比较，结缔组织的体积密度增加了18.1%。总之，比较不同组时，附睾管面积以及管腔、平滑肌和结缔组织的Vv具有显著性。然而，比较这些组时，导管上皮和血管的定量相对差异不显著。对正常人类附睾定量方面的研究可以增加我们对男性生育能力的认识。
