[Microsurgical management of male infertility in china: 15-year development and prospects]

Male infertility is a common and complex disease in urology and andrology, and for many years there has been no effective surgical treatment. With the emergence of microsurgery and assisted reproductive medicine (IVF/ICSI), rapid development has been achieved in the treatment of male infertility. The Center for Male Reproductive Medicine and Microsurgery at Weill Cornell Medical College of Cornell University has been playing an important leading role in developing microsurgical techniques for the management of male infertility. The development of microsurgical treatment of male infertility in China has experienced the 3 periods of emerging, making, and boosting ever since its systematic introduction from Weill Cornell Medical College 15 years ago. At present, many Chinese hospitals have adopted microsurgery in the management of male infertility, which has contributed to the initial establishment of a microsurgical treatment system for male infertility in China. However, some deficiencies do exist concerning microsurgical treatment of male infertility, as in normalized technical training programs for competent surgeons, unified criteria for evaluation of surgical outcomes, and detailed postoperative follow-up data. This article presents an overview on the 15-year development of microsurgical management of male infertility in China, points out the existing deficiencies, and offers some propositions for the promotion of its development.