Paul Shin
The investigation is a small feasibility study to determine whether there are imaging features related to the seminiferous tubules in the testes under microultrasound. The results from this study will provide guidance on the design and power analysis of future studies in this area.
Currently available ultrasound (US) technology is approximately 12 MHz and offers enough resolution to determine the presence of a tumor or varicocele, but has no real predictive value in terms of imaging robust seminiferous tubules. MicroUS offers significantly higher resolution - down to 70 microns. The average width of a normal seminiferous tubule is 200-250 microns. (Amer 1837). The average width of an atrophic SCO tubule is 75 microns. This echotexture difference cannot be visualized by a conventional ultrasound scan but should, in theory, be detected by a higher resolution (higher MHz) m…
Inclusion criteria: 1. Men with azoospermia confirmed based on semen analysis 2. Post-vasectomy patients with verified azoospermia after the procedure 3. Men pre-vasectomy with proven natural fertility or with normal semen analysis 4. Males assigned at birth over the age of 18 Exclusion criteria: 1. History of prior microdissection of the testes 2. History of hypogonadotropic hypogonadism
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