Aim:

To report the fine needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) of the testes used as a diagnostic tool in non-obstructive azoospermic patients.

Methods:

One hundred and twenty-five non-obstructive azoospermic male candidates to intracytoplasmic sperm injetion (ICSI) were analysed for follicle stimulating hormone (FSH), luteinizing hormone (LH), testosterone and inhibin B plasma levels. They were classified into three groups on the basis of FNAC: 1) Sertoli cell-only syndrome (SCOS) (70); 2) severe hypospermatogenesis (42); and 3) maturation arrest (13). Then, all men underwent testicular sperm extraction (TESE) for sperm recovery for ICSI.

Results:

Mature spermatozoa were detected by FNAC in 24 of 42 men with severe hypospermatogenesis and nine of 13 men with maturation arrest; while they were retrieved by TESE in 29 of 70 men with SCOS, 35 of 42 men with severe hypospermatogenesis (including the 24 by FNAC) and 10 of 13 men with maturation arrest (including the nine by FNAC). The sensitivity and specificity of FNAC were 44.6 % and 100 %, respectively. There was no difference on testicular volume and hormonal parameters in men with and without sperm retrieved.

Conclusion:

These findings suggest that FNAC may be a simple and valid diagnostic parameter in non-obstructive azoospermic men and it may represent a valid positive prognostic parameter for sperm recovery at TESE.

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