Absence of microdeletions in the Y chromosome in patients with a history of cryptorchidism and azoospermia or oligospermia

Objective: To determine if cryptorchidism is associated with microdeletions of interval 6 of the Y chromosome, we evaluated this locus in men with a h istory of cryptorchidism with and without azoospermia or oligospermia and i n a control group. Design: Clinical study. Setting: Academic research environment. Patient(s): Men in whom surgical treatment of cryptorchidism had been perfo rmed in childhood and healthy control male subjects. Intervention(s): None. Main Outcome Measure(s): Genotyping of interval 6 of the Y chromosome. Result(s): Analysis of semen obtained from men treated for cryptorchidism i n childhood showed azoospermia or oligospermia in 14 of 38 (37%) men. No mi crodeletions were identified with polymerase chain reaction amplification o f 17 distinct sequence tagged sites located on the long arm of the Y chromo some and the sex determining region on Y (SRY) gene. Conclusion(s): Microdeletions of interval 6 of the Y chromosome were not de tected in either the formerly cryptorchid or in the healthy subjects. Altho ugh we cannot exclude the possibility of point mutations, we conclude that cryptorchidism or cryptorchidism associated with azoospermia or oligospermi a is not due to microdeletions involving interval 6 of the Y chromosome. (C ) 1999 by American Society for Reproductive Medicine.