Authors

Çarcia Stegen, M.D., Minouche M.E. van Rumste, M.D., Ben Willem J. Mol, M.D., Ph.D., Carolien A.M. Koks, M.D., Ph.D.

Volume 98, Issue 6, Pages 1438-1442, December 2012

Abstract

Objective:

To determine the prevalence of chromosomal abnormalities in relation to sperm concentration in subfertile oligozoospermic men.

Design:

Retrospective cohort study.

Setting:

Two teaching hospitals.

Patients:

We retrospectively studied all men who received chromosomal analysis prior to intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) treatment from 2000 till 2010 in two teaching hospitals.

Interventions:

None.

Main outcome measures:

The results of chromosomal analysis and semen analysis were recorded. The frequency of abnormal karyotypes was analysed in relation to the sperm concentration, categorized as extreme oligozoospermia (>0-≤1 million/ml), severe oligozoospermia (>1-≤5 million/ml), moderate oligozoospermia (>5-≤20 million/ml) or normospermia (>20 million/ml).

Results:

Among 582 male ICSI candidates, the rates of abnormal karyotypes were 1.2% (2/162), 2.2% (5/227) and 1.5% (2/130) for men with extreme, severe and moderate oligozoospermia. No abnormalities were present in normospermic men.

Conclusions:

The risk of conceiving a viable child with unbalanced structural chromosomal abnormalities in men with oligozoospermia may not justify karyotyping.

Read the full text at: http://www.fertstert.org/article/S0015-0282(12)02057-2/fulltext