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[Testicular microlithiasis associated with infertility]
F J González Sánchez1, M B Encinas Gaspar, S Napal Lecumberri
1Servicio de Urología, Hospital Santos Reyes, Aranda de Duero, Burgos, España.
Objective:
A case of testicular microlithiasis that had been incidentally diagnosed by ultrasound in a patient undergoing evaluation for infertility is described and the literature briefly reviewed.
Methods:
The clinical, laboratory (routine blood and urine tests, hormone studies, spermiogram) and testicular ultrasound findings in a 28-year-old male who consulted for infertility are presented.
Results:
Serum FSH and LH were raised and testosterone fell within the lower ranges. The spermiogram revealed azoospermia. US evaluation showed bilateral small hyperechoic foci without posterior acoustic shadowing, dispersed within a normal testicular parenchyma.
Conclusions:
Testicular microlithiasis is a rare entity which is usually discovered incidentally during testicular ultrasound evaluation for other conditions such as infertility. The underlying condition (calcium in the seminiferous duct lumen) has a specific ultrasonographic appearance and further studies are not required to make the diagnosis. The patho-genesis and the clinical implications of microlithiasis remain unclear, therefore any associated pathology, such as tumor, infertility, systemic diseases, or chromosomal disorders, must be ruled out. Regular US follow-up is advocated.