Ultrastructural characteristics of idiopathic spermatidic arrest

Previous studies on some cases of idiopathic spermatidic arrest showed an anomaly in glucose metabolism, in particular decreased utilization of glycogen at stage 3 of spermatogenesis, when condensation of the spermatid head commences. Histological patterns seen on light microscopy confirmed the reduced utilization of glycogen at stage 3 of spermatogenesis. Electron microscopy revealed an arrest at stage 3 of spermiogenesis and, at the cytoplasm level of the Sertoli cell, a modification in the smooth endoplasmic reticulum characterized by the presence of dilated cisternae. From a morphological viewpoint, the equivalent of a biochemical modification which characterizes this maturation disorder in the germinal epithelium is hypothesized.