[Attempt at a standardized interpretation of testicular histopathology in male sterility]

The authors present a standard for interpreting the histopathology of testicular biopsies carried out during the framework of investigation of male sterility. The standard is based on a study of the alterations in the seminiferous tubes (T), the peritubular membranes (M) and the interstitial tissue (I). This method of histological assessment has been used to study 35 subjects on whom bilateral bipolar biopsies were carried out (130 specimens). The statistical study showed: a) the absence of any difference between the pieces taken from the two poles in each testis; b) the level of concentration of spermatozoa could not be tied up with any of the three histological parameters. This applied also for hormone levels with the exception of GUT which seem to correlate directly with M; c) the presence of a varicocoele does not reflect in any way the membrane or the interstitial tissue; d) spermograms carried out after the biopsies showed that testicular biopsy does not cause permanent trauma to the testis. The advantages and disadvantages of this quantitative method are discussed.