Testicular morphologies in subjects evaluated for infertility in Brunei Darussalam

 

Siti Zurainah ABDUL HAMID, Pemasari Upali TELISINGHE, Ghazala KAFEEL, Hla OO

Department Of Pathology, RIPAS Hospital, Brunei Darussalam

 

ABSTRACT

Introduction: Infertility is a major problem in the present society and treatment is expensive. Men and women are equally responsible. Although treatment of the female infertility has advanced considerably, there is little progress in the treatment of male infertility. Three major groups of tests, namely hormonal assays, specialised andrological tests such as semen analysis and testicular biopsy are used  to investigate male infertility. However, hormonal assay and semen analysis may not provide sufficient information about the condition of the testes. Therefore, testicular biopsy is crucial for proper assessment with both diagnostic and prognostic importance. This study retrospectively assessed the morphological patterns of testicular biopsies of men who had been investigated for infertility in Brunei Darussalam. Material and Methods: All testicular biopsies performed for the investigation of male infertility over a 10 years period (2001–2010) were included. These cases were retrieved from the laboratory information system RIPAS Hospital, Brunei Darussalam. Relevant slides were retrieved from the histological laboratory archives and reviewed in a blinded fashion. Results: There were 80 testicular biopsies included in this study with age range of between 21 and 48 years. A normal histological pattern was seen in 10 patients (12.6%). Of those with abnormalities, 21 (26.2%) showed maturation arrest, nine (11.3%) showed marked hypoplasia, 10 (12.5%) showed Sertoli cells only and four (5%) had sperm granuloma. There were four (5%) cases of testicular tuberculosis, seven (8.7%) with non-specific inflammation, one (1.2%) with a viral inclusion in the tubules and one (1.2%) with in-situ carcinoma. Conclusion: Our study shows that infertility can be due to various causes in man and testicular biopsy should be an integral part of investigation.

 

Keywords: Male infertility, testicular biopsy, azoospermia, Sertoli Cell Only

 

Correspondence author: Siti Zurainah ABDUL HAMID, Department of Laboratory Service, RIPAS Hospital, Bandar Seri Begawan BA 1710, Brunei Darussalam. Tel: +673 2242424 Ext 6327. E mail: zurainah278@hotmail.com

Brunei Int Med J. 2014; 10 (6): 304-309

 

BACK TO CONTENTS