The role of testicular biopsy in the investigation of male infertility

Effect of testicular biopsy in childhood on spermatogenesis, fertility, and paternity in adulthood--a mouse model study

OBJECTIVES

To study the effect of testicular biopsy in childhood on spermatogenesis, fertility, and paternity in subsequent adulthood using an animal model. Considerable controversy exists as to whether testicular biopsy should be performed in children.

METHODS

Four-week-old male ICR mice were subjected to unilateral testicular biopsy (group 1), bilateral biopsy (group 2), or a sham operation (group 3). At 8 weeks of age, the testicular weight, seminiferous tubular diameter, and manifestation of apoptosis were examined. The motility of sperm obtained from the epididymides of the same testes was also examined. Fertility and paternity was assessed in each mouse by housing it with 2 age-matched females for 2 weeks.

RESULTS

No significant differences were found in the testicular weight, mean seminiferous tubular diameter, or number of apoptotic germ cells between the biopsied and unbiopsied side in group 1 or between groups 2 and 3. No significant differences were noted in the average sperm motility rate between the biopsied (30.5% +/- 14.5%) and unbiopsied side (35.8% +/- 19.2%) in group 1, or between groups 2 (37.6% +/- 18.0%) and 3 (39.3% +/- 10.0%). All females who coupled with the male mice in all groups became pregnant. The average number of offspring from the 2 female mice was not significantly different among the three groups (group 1, 13.1 +/- 2.3; group 2, 12.3 +/- 2.0; and group 3, 11.3 +/- 3.0).

CONCLUSIONS

The spermatogenesis, fertility, and paternity of mature mice were unaffected by testicular biopsy in childhood.

The effect of graded unilateral testicular biopsy on the reproductive capacity of male rats

Fifty adult rats were subjected to unilateral testicular biopsy removing either 0.01, 0.1, 0.2 or 0.3 cc of testicular parenchyma. In addition, 20 rats underwent either hemicastration or sham surgery. After a 30-day recovery period each male was housed with two cycling females for 20 days. At the end of this breeding trial the percentage of fertile males, percentage of pregnant females and resulting embryo scores (no. of embryos X size of embryos) were determined for each group of male rats. After an additional 30 days (60 days post-biopsy) a second breeding trial was performed so as to note any long-term changes in fertility. In addition to the fertility parameters, mean seminiferous tubule diameters and serum testosterone levels were noted. After the first breeding trial the percentage of fertile males and percentage of pregnant females were inversely proportional to the amount of biopsy material removed (p less than 0.05). However, the hemicastrate and sham-operated groups did not differ from the O cc control animals. The results of the second breeding trial showed a significant improvement in the percentage of females becoming pregnant (p less than 0.05) and a tendency for improvement in the percentage of fertile males when compared to data of the first breeding trial. In addition, we found the mean seminiferous tubular diameter of the biopsied testes to be inversely proportional to the size of the biopsy (p less than 0.01) with no apparent effect on the contralateral testes. We conclude that removing relatively large amounts of testicular parenchyma during unilateral testicular biopsy transiently affects male reproductive capacity, at least in the healthy animal model studied here.