[Successful treatment of azoospermia diagnosed as "Sertoli cells only syndrome with maturation arrest"--developing a...

The transfer of good quality embryo in the program of assisted reproduction in the case of azoospermia, dg. Sertolli cells only syndrome (SCO sy) + maturation arrest (MA). Testes were assessed and found to have a high occurrence of Sertolli cells and very low occurrence of germinal cells, which were arrested at the round spermatid level. The histological evaluation was hypospermatogenesis gr. 3 (minimum 1 spermatid/sample).

Case report.

Laboratory IVF, Iscare, a. s., Department of Biology and Biochemistry of Fertilization, Institute of Molecular Genetics, Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague.

The successful integration of three methods provides a solution for this case of azoospermia. Immunology and histology can more exactly diagnose the degree of azoospermia. Detection and visualisation of spermatids using monoclonal antibodies against sperm proteins predicts the eventual occurrence of spermatogenesis, and histological evaluation confirms these immunological findings. Using the information of both methods it is possible to use special in vitro cultivation of testicular cells and so obtain injectable spermatozoa, or precursors of sperm, for the ICSI method.

The probability of acquisition of good-quality embryo in the program of assisted reproduction is higher when these three methods are applied in combination.