Touch imprint cytology in biopsy of the infertile testis

To identify different cell types in the testis by using touch imprint cytology and to compare the cytologic findings to the histopathologic diagnosis in infertile men.

This prospective study used touch imprint preparations and included 20 infertile men. The biopsy material obtained was stained with toluidine blue, May-Grünwald-Giemsa stain and Papanicolaou stain. The cytologic results for oligospermic, normospermic and azospermic men were compared to the specific histopathologic diagnosis. The proportion of spermatogenic versus Sertoli cells was calculated. The scores were compared between three groups based on the results of the histologic biopsy: normal spermatogenesis, hypospermatogenesis and incomplete spermatogenic arrest.

The mean ratio of the spermatogenic cells versus Sertoli cells was statistically significantly different in the three groups (P < .01). The mean ratio of spermatogenic cells to Sertoli cells was higher in cases with normal spermatogenesis than in cases with hypospermatogenesis and incomplete spermatogenic arrest, revealing a statistical difference (P<.01). This ratio was not statistically significantly different between the hypospermatogenesis and incomplete spermatogenic arrest groups.

A cytologic demonstration of germinal cells by using touch imprint preparations may be a guide for histologic diagnosis.