UNILATERAL SPONTANEOUS ABDOMINAL CRYPTORCHIDISM - STRUCTURAL AND ULTRASTRUCTURAL-STUDY OF SPERM MORPHOLOGY

Sperm morphology of three healthy boars and three boars with spontaneo us abdominal cryptorchidism in the right testis has been evaluated by light microscopy. For each boar, two ejaculates have been analysed, co rresponding to semen collections at the ags of 6.5 months (first colle ction) and 8 months (seventh collection). A comparative study of the s perm malformations present in the seventh semen collection between the healthy boars and the unilateral abdominal cryptorchid boars has also been performed by light microscopy. Sperm malformations of the sevent h semen collection from the unilateral abdominal cryptorchid boars hav e been examined by scanning and transmission electron microscopy. The frequency of mature spermatozoa, immature spermatozoa, aberrant sperma tozoa and detached heads maintained normals values in the first and th e seventh semen collection from the unilateral abdominal cryptorchid b oars. The comparative study of sperm abnormalities in the seventh seme n collection between the cryptorchid boars and the healthy boars indic ated that the unilateral abdominal cryptorchid boars had a significant ly higher frequency of primacy abnormalities, and a significantly lowe r frequency of secondary abnormalities. Some primary abnormalities, su ch as crater defect, knobbed acrosome defect, nuclear crests and abaxi al tails were only observed in the unilateral abdominal cryptorchid bo ars. It was concluded that unilateral abdominal cryptorchidism provoke s disturbances in the late stages of spermiogenesis. at testicular lev el. Alteration's in the sperm maturation process at epididymal level w ere not found. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science B.V.