Role of Serum Follicle-Stimulating Hor¬mone Level as Predictor of Sperm Retrieval in Patients with Non-Obstructive Azoospermia

ORIGINAL ARTICLE
Badr Alharbi

 
International Journal of Biomedicine. 2019;9(1):35-38.
DOI: 10.21103/Article9(1)_OA6
Originally published March 15, 2019

Abstract: 

The aim of this study was to determine the predictive value and use of noninvasive, pre-operative estimation of serum follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) on sperm retrieval rate (SRR) during microdissection testicular sperm extraction (mTESE) in patients with non-obstructive azoospermia (NOA).
Materials and Methods: A retrospective review of the charts of 74 patients (mean age of 36.7±6.7 years) with NOA who underwent mTESE was performed. Pre-operative serum levels of FSH, total testosterone, luteinizing hormone (LH), estradiol, prolactin and mTESE results were analyzed. Patients were divided into two groups according to the mTESE results: Group A (positive sperm retrieval) and Group B (negative sperm retrieval).
Results: Sperm was retrieved from 29 patients (positive SRR 39%). The mean serum FSH levels were 24.83±10.09 mIU/mL in Group A and 31±4.24 mIU/mL in Group B, without statistically significant differences between the two groups (P>0.05). In addition, there were no observed statistically significant differences between the two groups regarding serum LH, total testosterone, estradiol and prolactin levels.
Conclusion: The study found that pre-operative measurement of serum FSH level has no significant predictive value on SRR at mTESE in men with NOA.

Keywords: 
non-obstructive azoospermia • microdissection testicular sperm extraction • follicle-stimulating hormone • male infertility
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Received January 26, 2019.
Accepted February 14, 2019.
©2019 International Medical Research and Development Corporation.