Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 24, 2026
Functional Assessment of Kinesin-7 CENP-E in Spermatocytes Using In Vivo Inhibition, Immunofluorescence and Flow Cytometry
Published on: December 28, 2021
The difficult MESA: findings from tubuli recti sperm aspiration
Ulrike Zenke1, Liza Jalalian, Shehua Shen
1Department of Urology, University of California San Francisco School of Medicine, San Francisco, California 94143-1695, USA.
Purpose:
To investigate sperm quality aspirated from the tubuli recti compared to that obtained from microsurgical epididymal sperm aspiration (MESA).
Methods:
Sixteen patients with congenital bilateral absence of the vas deferens (CBAVD) underwent MESA. Six MESA procedures were difficult, and therefore sperm were retrieved from the tubuli recti ductules. Intraoperative sperm parameters, recovery after freeze-thaw, and ICSI outcomes were analyzed and compared between tubuli recti and MESA sperm.
Results:
Mean initial sperm concentration was similar in both groups (18 vs. 16 million sperm/mL). Initial sperm motility was significantly higher in the tubuli recti group (35%) than the MESA group (25%). However, post thaw motility was higher with MESA compared to tubuli recti sperm (8.7 vs. 1.5%). ICSI fertilization rates after sperm freeze-thaw were 66% for tubuli recti sperm and 71% for MESA sperm.
Conclusions:
Tubuli recti sperm may provide an attractive alternative to testis sperm extraction. Poor sperm recovery after freeze-thaw should be expected.
