Age as a limiting factor for successful sperm retrieval in patients with nonmosaic Klinefelter’s syndrome

Okada, Hiroshi; Goda, Kazumasa; Yamamoto, Yasuhisa; Sofikitis, Nikolaos; Miyagawa, Ikuo; Mio, Yasuyuki; Koshida, Mitsunobu; Horie, Shigeo

doi:10.1016/j.fertnstert.2005.05.053

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Volume 84, Issue 6 , Pages 1662-1664, December 2005

Age as a limiting factor for successful sperm retrieval in patients with nonmosaic Klinefelter’s syndrome

Hiroshi Okada, M.D., Ph.D.
- Department of Urology, Teikyo University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan
- Reprint requests: Hiroshi Okada, M.D., Department of Urology, Teikyo University School of Medicine, 2-11-1, Kaga, Itabashi-ku, Tokyo, Japan, 173-8605 (FAX: +81-3-3964-89349).
Kazumasa Goda, M.D., Ph.D.
- Division of Urology, Department of Organ Therapeutics, Faculty of Medicine, Kobe University Graduate School of Medicine, Kobe, Japan
Yasuhisa Yamamoto, M.D., Ph.D.
- Department of Urology, Tottori University School of Medicine, Yonago, Japan
Nikolaos Sofikitis, M.D., Ph.D.
- Molecular Urology Laboratory, Department of Urology, Ionannina University School of Medicine, Ionannina, Greece
Ikuo Miyagawa, M.D., Ph.D.
- Department of Urology, Tottori University School of Medicine, Yonago, Japan
Yasuyuki Mio, M.D., Ph.D.
- Mio Fertility Clinic, Yonago, Japan
Mitsunobu Koshida, M.D., Ph.D.
- Koshida Clinic, Osaka, Japan
Shigeo Horie, M.D., Ph.D.
- Department of Urology, Teikyo University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan

Received 8 December 2004; received in revised form 23 May 2005; accepted 23 May 2005.

Objective

To determine factors affecting successful sperm retrieval by testicular sperm extraction in patients with nonmosaic Klinefelter’s syndrome.

Design

Medical record analysis for nonmosaic Klinefelter’s syndrome patients who underwent testicular sperm extraction.

Setting

Three university-based tertiary centers.

Patient(s)

Fifty-one patients with nonobstructive azoospermia related to nonmosaic Klinefelter’s syndrome.

Intervention(s)

Testicular sperm extraction.

Main Outcome Measure(s)

Correlation of patient characteristics; serum concentrations of luteinizing hormone (LH), follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), and testosterone (T); as well as testicular volume with success in testicular sperm extraction.

Result(s)

We succeeded in obtaining spermatozoa in 26 patients and failed in 25. Levels of LH, FSH, and T and testicular volume did not differ between patient groups defined by success and failure. Median ages for successful and failed testicular sperm extraction were 31 and 38 years, respectively (statistically significant difference). When we analyzed success rates of testicular sperm extraction between two patient groups (<35 and ≥35 years old), the percentage of successful recovery of spermatozoa decreased after the age of 35 years (statistically significant difference).