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Publication
Presence of spermatogonia in 47,XXY men with no spermatozoa recovered after testicular sperm extraction
Journal Contribution - Journal Article
OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the presence of spermatogonia in men diagnosed with Klinefelter Syndrome (KS), in whom no testicular spermatozoa were recovered by testicular sperm extraction (TESE).
DESIGN: Retrospective case series
SETTING: University Hospital
PATIENT(S): Testicular samples from 22 non-mosaic 47,XXY men, aged 24 to 43, with no spermatozoa at multiple biopsies.
INTERVENTION(S): Paraffin-embedded testicular tissue was sectioned and stained with haematoxylin-eosin and immunostainings were performed for both Mage-A4 and Vimentin.
MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): The presence of spermatogonia.
RESULT(S): Massive fibrosis and hyalinization was observed in all Klinefelter men. Spermatogonia were observed in four out of 22 KS men. With differentiation upto the spermatocyte level in two of them.
CONCLUSION(S): A few Klinefelter men, having no spermatozoa after TESE, still had few spermatogonia. These patients may eventually benefit of in-vitro maturation from spermatogonial stem cells. The adult KS population can thus be divided into three subgroups; one subgroup showing focal spermatogenesis, a second having spermatogonia and a third group in which no germ cells can be recovered. Further research is necessary to unravel the mechanism leading to these different patterns in KS patients.
DESIGN: Retrospective case series
SETTING: University Hospital
PATIENT(S): Testicular samples from 22 non-mosaic 47,XXY men, aged 24 to 43, with no spermatozoa at multiple biopsies.
INTERVENTION(S): Paraffin-embedded testicular tissue was sectioned and stained with haematoxylin-eosin and immunostainings were performed for both Mage-A4 and Vimentin.
MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): The presence of spermatogonia.
RESULT(S): Massive fibrosis and hyalinization was observed in all Klinefelter men. Spermatogonia were observed in four out of 22 KS men. With differentiation upto the spermatocyte level in two of them.
CONCLUSION(S): A few Klinefelter men, having no spermatozoa after TESE, still had few spermatogonia. These patients may eventually benefit of in-vitro maturation from spermatogonial stem cells. The adult KS population can thus be divided into three subgroups; one subgroup showing focal spermatogenesis, a second having spermatogonia and a third group in which no germ cells can be recovered. Further research is necessary to unravel the mechanism leading to these different patterns in KS patients.
Journal: Fertil. Steril.
ISSN: 0015-0282
Volume: 97
Pages: 319-323
Publication year:2012
Keywords:Klinefelter Syndrome, Spermatogenesis, Spermatogonial stem cells, Testicular sperm extraction