P-034 Rate of testicular histology failure in predicting successful testicular sperm extraction in Non-Obstructive Azoospermia

Abstract Study question Does testicular histology predict successful or unsuccessful TEsticular Sperm Extraction (TESE) in Non-Obstructive Azoospermia (NOA) patients? Summary answer Testicular histology failed to predict successful TESE in 1 of 3 NOA patients. What is known already The management of patients with Non-Obstructive Azoospermia (NOA) involves TEsticular Sperm Extraction (TESE) combined with IntraCytoplasmic Sperm Injection (ICSI). Sperm retrieval is successful in up to 50% of men with NOA; however, there is no single clinical finding or investigation that can accurately predict a positive outcome. Previous studies have concluded that testicular histology is the best predictor of a successful or unsuccessful TESE. Study design, size, duration This is a retrospective study of 525 patients who underwent TESE between January 2018 and December 2020 in Humanitas Fertility Center. Participants/materials, setting, methods The cohort was dived in five groups: 287 NOA, 95 necrozoospermia, 18 anejaculation, 1 testicular trauma and 124 Obstructive Azoospermia (OA) patients. Main results and the role of chance Sperm was retrieved and cryopreserved in 218/287 patients with NOA (75,95%), 55/95 in necrozoospermia (57,89%), 18/18 anejaculation (100%), 1/1 testicular trauma (100%) and 120/124 in OA patients (96,77%). Interesting that, when we compare sperm recovery data through TESE with the histological assessment (HA) of corresponding testicular biopsy, we found discordance against HA. In particular we retrieved spermatozoa in 218 NOA patients but in 74 of them HA failed to detect them (33,94%). Moreover HA failed to detect spermatozoa in 8/55 (14,54%) in case of necrozoospermia, 1/18 (5,55%) in anejaculation and 10/120 (8,33%) in OA patients. Limitations, reasons for caution Testis's heterogeneity is a limitation of the study. Wider implications of the findings We found a discordance when HA is compared with sperm recovery data of corresponding testicular biopsy. This data suggest that in case of testicular diagnostics histology in 33,94% of NOA cases there is a wrong diagnosis and 1 of 3 patients it doesn’t retrieve and cryopreserve spermatozoa when it could. Trial registration number N A