CLINICAL-VALUE OF FINE-NEEDLE ASPIRATION CYTOLOGY AND BIOPSY IN THE EVALUATION OF MALE-INFERTILITY - A COMPARATIVE-STUDY OF 48 INFERTILE PATIENTS

Objective.-To evaluate whether fine-needle aspiration cytology of the testis can be considered as a diagnostic parameter in the evaluation o f male infertility. Patients and Methods.-We studied 30 oligospermic a nd 18 azoospermic patients using 63 fine-needle aspiration samples and 57 biopsy samples obtained surgically (10 cases) or with a spring-loa ded biopsy device (47 cases). Cytologic evaluation of spermatogenesis was performed by studying longitudinal segments of seminiferous tubule s and cytocentrifuged dissociated cells. Results.-Comparison between f ine-needle aspiration and the biopsy methods gave concordant results i n 72.2% of cases. Discordant findings were recorded in 10 cases (27.8% ). In eight cases, significant maturation into spermatozoa was recogni zed in samples obtained by fine-needle aspiration only, whereas modera te to severe hypospermatogenesis or germ cell aplasia were demonstrate d in samples obtained by the spring-loaded biopsy device or by open su rgical biopsy. Germ cell aplasia was recognized in samples obtained by both methods in 75.0% of cases. Insufficient specimens were obtained by fine-needle aspiration and the spring-loaded biopsy device in 15.9% and 12.3% of cases, respectively, whereas all surgical biopsy specime ns were of good quality. Four bleeding episodes and one case of epidid ymitis were observed after use of the spring-loaded biopsy device, but no complication was related to either surgical biopsy or fine-needle aspiration. Conclusion.-The findings show that fine-needle aspiration cytology could represent a more reliable means of identifying signific ant numbers of the most mature germ cells.