The importance of both an early orchidopexy and germ cell maturation for fertility

Delayed orchidopexy for undescended testes has been associated with abnormal testicular histology, but the effect on later fertility is unknown. We aimed to establish the importance of the first postnatal maturational step-ie, the transformation of gonocytes into Ad (dark) spermatogonia on fertility...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The Lancet (British edition) 2001-10, Vol.358 (9288), p.1156-1157
Main Authors: HADZISELIMOVIC, F, HERZOG, B
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Aging
Biological and medical sciences
Biopsy
Cells
Cryptorchidism - surgery
Fertility
Gynecology. Andrology. Obstetrics
Histology
Humans
Infant
Male
Male genital diseases
Medical sciences
Non tumoral diseases
Orchiectomy
Patients
Sperm
Sperm Count
Spermatogonia
Stem cells
Surgery
Testes
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Summary:Delayed orchidopexy for undescended testes has been associated with abnormal testicular histology, but the effect on later fertility is unknown. We aimed to establish the importance of the first postnatal maturational step-ie, the transformation of gonocytes into Ad (dark) spermatogonia on fertility. We matched histological findings of the testes from 31 patients who had undergone an early orchidopexy with their total number of sperm. If Ad spermatogonia were present, 17 (94%) of 18 (95% CI 72.7-99.9) of the men had a total sperm count of 40 x 10(6)/ejaculate or greater. By contrast, despite successful early surgery, if Ad spermatogonia were absent, 12 (92%) of 13, (64.0-99.8) patients had abnormal spermiograms. Thus, the transformation of gonocytes into Ad spermatogonia is crucial for male fertility.
ISSN:0140-6736
1474-547X
DOI:10.1016/s0140-6736(01)06274-2