[Comparing the sperm concentration determined by the Makler and the Neubauer chambers]

Area of Science:

• Reproductive biology
• Andrology
• Sperm analysis

Background:

• Accurate sperm counting is crucial for male fertility assessment.
• Traditional methods like the Neubauer chamber are widely used.
• Alternative methods, such as the Makler chamber, offer potential advantages.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the concordance between sperm counts obtained using the Makler chamber and the Neubauer chamber.
• To assess the reliability of the Makler chamber for routine semen analysis.

Main Methods:

• A cross-sectional study involving 112 ejaculates from fertile men.
• Sperm counts were determined using both the Makler and Neubauer chambers.
• Bland-Altman plots were used to compare the results from the two chambers.

Main Results:

• Mean sperm counts were 107.8 x 10^6 sperm/mL (Makler) and 106.2 x 10^6 sperm/mL (Neubauer).
• A high degree of concordance was observed between the sperm counts obtained from both chambers.
• The Makler chamber demonstrated comparable accuracy to the Neubauer chamber.

Conclusions:

• The Makler chamber provides accurate sperm concentration determination, comparable to the Neubauer chamber.
• Either the Makler or Neubauer chamber can be reliably used in routine semen analyses.
• These findings support the use of the Makler chamber as an effective tool in andrology laboratories.