Evaluation of sperm motility by optical diffractometry of spermatograms

Evaluation of sperm motility based on analysis of spermatograms by optical diffractometry was performed. Spermatograms are defined as images of sperm tracks obtained on microphotographs by dark field illumination with long exposure time. Single track analysis proved that the details concerning single tracks are "seen" and recognized by the technique of optical diffractometry. Normal "linear", as well as abnormal "irregular", including "circular", tracks were numerically described. Multitrack analysis: The general pattern of all tracks contained in particular spermatograms derived from two groups of semen classified by hospital laboratory as "high" (control) and "low" ("mediocre") motility of spermatozoa, respectively, were analysed by optical diffractometry. The hospital laboratory was asked to provide for diffractometric analysis samples of the "mediocre" semens of quality similar enough to the "control" ones what concerns the percentage of motile spermatozoa (40 percent) and spermatozoan concentration. Diffraction patterns of 102 spermatograms of control sperm and of 103 spermatograms of sperm qualified as "mediocre" by subjective microscopic evaluation of sperm motility, were analysed and compared. Using discriminant analysis based on parameters describing radial distribution of light intensity in diffraction patterns of control and "mediocre" spermatograms, it was possible to classify correctly 71 cases as high motility sperms out of 102 spermatograms evaluated beforehand by hospital laboratory criteria as control ones. In the group of 103 spermatograms classified as "mediocre" sperms by hospital laboratory criteria 69 cases were correctly recognized as "mediocre" by diffractometric analysis. The overlapping of the analysed two groups of sperm by 30 percent might be explained by the fact that in the control spermatograms many trajectories are formed by inefficient, slow moving spermatozoa.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)