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Updated: Jun 5, 2026

Flow Cytometric Analysis of Biomarkers for Detecting Human Sperm Functional Defects
Published on: April 21, 2022
An assessment of new sperm tests for male infertility
Alessandro Natali1, Paul J Turek
1Clinica Urologica, University of Florence, Florence, Italy. anatali@dada.it
Abstract:
The routine semen analysis, although used for more than 50 years, fails to accurately distinguish between fertile and infertile men. As a consequence, many tests of sperm function (TSF) have been developed. This review discusses both older and newer diagnostic TSF. It outlines the principles underlying each assay and reviews aggregate clinical data to determine its current relevance and utility. It concludes that the relevance of many older TSF is questionable, with the wide acceptance of intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI). Newer TSF have the potential to deliver more clinically relevant information but require more extensive study to better understand their predictive role in the ICSI era.
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