Value of ultrasound in the etiological diagnosis of azoospermia

doi:10.16150/j.1671-2870.2023.04.006

Abstract

Abstract:

Objective: To explore the application value of ultrasound in the etiological diagnosis of azoospermia.Methods: Three hundred and fourteen consecutive cases of azoospermia diagnosed in our hospital from January 1, 2015 to December 31, 2021 were retrospectively analyzed, and their clinical data and ultrasonic examination results were summarized and analyzed. Results: Among 314 patients, 118 (37.6%) had obstructive azoospermia (OA) and 196 (62.4%) had non obstructive azoospermia (NOA). Among OA patients, 89% (105 cases) showed positive ultrasound findings, including congenital bilateral vas deferens absence (40 cases), ejaculatory duct obstruction(33 cases), inflammatory lesions(17 cases), and calcified lesions (15 cases); Among 196 patients with NOA, 40.3% (79 cases) had positive ultrasound findings, including small testis (45 cases), cryptorchidism (13 cases), testicular microlithiasis (16 cases), and varicocele (5 cases). Conclusions: Among the 314 patients with azoospermia in this study, the ratio of NOA to OA is 1.66:1. Ultrasound examination is able to identify the etiology of 58.6% of the patients, including 89% of the causes of OA and 40.3% of the causes of NOA.

Key words: Ultrasonography, Obstructive azoospermia, Non-obstructive azoospermia

CLC Number:

YAO Shifa, CHEN Ping, LI Liang, NIU Jianmei. Value of ultrasound in the etiological diagnosis of azoospermia[J]. Journal of Diagnostics Concepts & Practice, 2023, 22(04): 369-373.

Figures/Tables 5

Table 1

Figure 1

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References 12

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	Ultrasound findings		Number of cases	Percentage（%）
OA （n=118）	No abnormalities were found		13	11.0
	Abnormality
	CBAVD	With partial epididymis deficiency	20	17.0
		With bilateral seminal vesicle deficiency	5	4.2
		With bilateral seminal vesicle deficiency and partial epididymis deficiency	15	12.7
	Ejaculatory duct obstruction	Midline cyst of the prostate	23	19.5
		Ejaculatory ducts dilate	6	5.1
		Ejaculatory ducts Calcification	4	3.4
	Inflammatory lesions	Chronic epididymitis	17	14.4
	Calcified lesions	Epididymis Calcification	10	8.5
	Calcified lesions	Vas deferens calcification	5	4.2
NOA （n=196）	No abnormalities were found		117	59.7
	Abnormality
	Small testis		45	23.0
	Cryptorchidism		13	6.6
	Testicular microlithiasis		16	8.2
	Varicocele		5	2.6

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