Association of testicular histopathology with sperm retrieval success rates in men with idiopathic non-obstructive azoospermia

Abstract

Introduction Infertility is a major public health issue, with male factors alone contributing to 20–30% of cases. Non-obstructive azoospermia (NOA) is the most severe form, and although techniques like microdissection testicular sperm extraction (mTESE) offer hope, it remains challenging due to its uncertain causes. This study investigates the correlation between testicular histopathology and clinical parameters to enhance sperm retrieval (SR) prediction.Materials and methods We reviewed 57 azoospermic men from Hanoi Medical University Hospital, recruited between January 2021 and September 2023. Inclusion criteria were confirmed azoospermia and exclusion of known NOA causes. All underwent mTESE with testicular biopsies classified into four histopathological patterns.Results The patients’ mean age was 31.75 ± 5.19 years. SR was successful in 19.3% (11/57). Higher follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) levels were noted in SR-positive men (p = 0.02). Sertoli cell-only syndrome (SCOS) was the most common pattern. While we found a significant difference in SR rate between testicular histopathology, multivariate analysis showed no strong association. However, FSH levels were predictive of histopathology patterns.Conclusions Idiopathic NOA (iNOA) represents over 60% of azoospermia cases. mTESE remains the gold standard, and FSH levels may help predict testicular histopathology patterns and improving patients prognosis of SR outcomes.

Keywords

• Male infertility
• idiopathic non-obstructive azoospermia
• microsurgical testicular sperm extraction
• sperm retrieval
• testicular histopathology