| Summary: | Male factor contributes significantly to the problem of infertile marriages. Alterations of morphological and/or functional characteristics of germ cells can result in infertility. We analyzed 122 semen samples – 55 samples with normal (≥ 15 million/ml) sperm concentration (group I) and 67 samples with cryptozoospermia or severe oligozoospermia (concentration < 1 million/ml, group II). Standard semen analysis and quantitative karyological analysis of immature germ cells from ejaculate (QKA IGC) (patent L.F. Kurilo № 2328736, 2007) were performed for all samples. The results of QKA IGC are significantly different in the two groups analyzed. The proportion of IGC at stages of preleptotene-zygotene and pachytene is verified to be higher (p < 0.01) in the sperm samples with normal concentration (group 1), indicating spermatogenesis arrest at prophase I of meiosis. In the semen samples of group 2 (patients with cryptozoospermia or with severe oligozoospermia, sperm concentration < 1 million/ml) proportion of spermatocytes II and spermatids is significantly higher than in the group with normal sperm concentration, that indicates the spermatogenesis arrest at the stage of sperm formation (spermiogenesis). IGC index in 58 % of the samples from the group I is higher than normal IGC index. For the majority of the samples from the group II the IGC index was not estimated because of lack of spermatozoa. In all sperm samples with suspected azoospermia examined through QKA IGC spermatozoa were identified (44 samples from group II). Thus, if azoospermia is suspected, QKA IGC can be recommended to patients as an alternative to diagnostic testicular or epididimal biopsy. QKA IGC is unique in the assessment of the of spermatogenesis dynamics, as it is precise, safe, non-invasive and time-saving method that allows multiple repeated evaluation of IGC at different stages of spermatogenesis.
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