Diagnostic role of testicular fine needle aspiration biopsy in male infertility.

OBJECTIVE

To study the diagnostic role of fine needle aspiration biopsy (FNAB) of the testis in male infertility.

STUDY DESIGN

A retrospective study of 586 cases of infertile males with oligospermia and azoospermia. The material obtained was stained with Diff-Quik. The proportion of Sertoli cells versus spermatogenic cells was studied.

RESULTS

Cytologic examination revealed normal spermatogenesis in 10.2%, hypospermatogenesis in 31.4%, Sertoli cells only in 30.2% and an atrophic pattern in 28.6%.

CONCLUSION

The patterns recognized by FNAB were comparable to those obtained by open biopsy. However, FNAB is less invasive, with very few complications. The procedure was well tolerated by all patients. There were very few complications. The findings of this study support the contention that FNAB of the testis is a reliable, relatively noninvasive procedure that has an important role in male infertility.