Table 1.
Socio-demographic, clinical, and hormone characteristics of the study patients with idiopathic non-obstructive azoospermia.
| Variable | Whole cohort | Sperm retrieval negative | Sperm retrieval positive | P-value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Socio-demographic and clinical characteristics | ||||
|
| ||||
| Number of patients, No. (%) | 117 | 60 (51.3) | 57 (48.7) | <0.001 |
| Age (years), median (IQR) | 37 (33.3–40) | 36.5 (33.8–40) | 38 (33.3–40) | 0.3 |
| Partner age (years), median (IQR) | 33 (31–36) | 33 (31–36) | 34 (32–37) | 0.2 |
| BMI (kg/m2), median (IQR) | 25.3 (23.5–27.3) | 24.5 (23.4–26.3) | 26.2 (23.8–27.4) | 0.2 |
| Birthweight (g), median (IQR) | 3500 (3102–4000) | 3600 (3225–4025) | 3500 (2800–3800) | 0.1 |
| Smoking, No. (%) | 0.5 | |||
| Yes/ex-smoker | 31 (26.5) | 18 (30) | 13 (22.8) | |
| CCI, No. (%) | 0.1 | |||
| =1 | 2 (1.7) | 0 (0) | 2 (3.5) | |
| ≥2 | 3 (2.6) | 2 (3.3) | 1 (1.8) | |
| Arterial hypertension, No. (%) | 1 (0.9) | 0 (0) | 1 (1.8) | 0.1 |
| History of allergies, No. (%) | 20 (17.1) | 11 (18.3) | 9 (15.8) | 0.3 |
| Mean testicular volume (Prader), median (IQR) | 10.8 (8–12) | 10.8 (8–12) | 10.5 (9.3–13.1) | 0.5 |
| Infertility length (months), median (IQR) | 18 (12–28.5) | 18 (12–24) | 18 (12–36) | 0.4 |
| Semen volume (ml) | 3 (2.3–4) | 2.9 (2–4) | 3.5 (2.5–4.1) | 0.4 |
| Bilateral mTESE, No. (%) | 68 (58.1) | 58 (96.6) | 10 (17.5) | <0.001 |
|
| ||||
| Preoperative serum hormones | ||||
|
| ||||
| FSH (1.4–18.1 mUI/ml), median (IQR) | 15.4 (9.6–23.5) | 17.3 (11.4–26) | 14.3 (7.9–20.9) | 0.08 |
| LH (1.7–8.6 mUI/ml), median (IQR) | 7 (4.4–10.1) | 7.2 (4.6–9.9) | 6 (4.3–10.2) | 0.4 |
| tT (2.48–8.36 ng/ml), median (IQR) | 4.1 (3.2–5.1) | 3.4 (3.1–4.5) | 4.1 (3.3–5.4) | 0.1 |
| SHBG (18.3–54.1 nmol/l), median (IQR) | 31 (22.5–39.9) | 31.9 (22.7–39.7) | 31 (22.4–39.5) | 0.9 |
| Albumin (3.5–5 g/dl), median (IQR) | 46.5 (45.3–48.2) | 47.3 (46.2–48.7) | 45.9 (45.2–47.1) | 0.03 |
| cfT, median (IQR) | 0.06 (0.05–0.08) | 0.06 (0.05–0.08) | 0.06 (0.05–0.09) | 0.8 |
| E2 (<58 pg/ml), median (IQR) | 24 (18–29) | 23 (16–27.2) | 25.5 (24–40.5) | 0.01 |
| InhB (25–325 pg/ml), median (IQR) | 31.7 (7–52) | 31.7 (10.3–52) | 29.9 (7–53.1) | 0.9 |
| FSH/InhB, median (IQR) | 0.5 (0.2–3) | 0.5 (0.2–2.6) | 0.6 (0.2–3.4) | 0.8 |
| AMH (0.77–14.5 ng/ml), median (IQR) | 3.4 (2–6.1) | 5 (2.1–7.1) | 2.4 (1.6–3.7) | 0.005 |
| PRL (2.1–17.7 ng/ml), median (IQR) | 12.5 (8–38.4) | 12.7 (8.5–24) | 10.2 (7.9–46.7) | 0.9 |
| TSH (0.25–5 μUI/ml), median (IQR) | 2 (1.3–3.2) | 1.6 (1.4–3.2) | 2.1 (1.3–3.2) | 0.5 |
| Vitamin D (20–68 ng/ml), median (IQR) | 23.6 (18.6–31.4) | 22.8 (18.4–28.2) | 24.5 (19–32) | 0.5 |
| Insulin (2.6–25 μU/ml), median (IQR) | 7.3 (5.6–11.8) | 7.7 (5.7–11.8) | 7 (5.6–11.2) | 0.9 |
|
| ||||
| Preoperative blood parameters | ||||
|
| ||||
| Neutrophil–lymphocyte ratio, median (IQR) | 2.3 (1.2–2.1) | 1.4 (1.2–2.1) | 1.9 (1.3–2.2) | 0.3 |
|
| ||||
| mTESE outcome | ||||
|
| ||||
| ART (any), No. (%) | 49 (41.9) | 0 (0) | 49 (86) | <0.001 |
| ICSI, No. (%) | 49 (41.9) | 0 (0) | 49 (86) | <0.001 |
| Viable pregnancy, No. (%) | 27 (23.1) | 0 (0) | 27 (47.4) | <0.001 |
| Live birth, No. (%) | 21 (18) | 0 (0) | 21 (36.8) | <0.001 |
|
| ||||
| Histology | ||||
|
| ||||
| No germ cells, No. (%) | 36 (30.8) | 28 (46.7) | 8 (14) | <0.001 |
| Complete maturation arrest, No. (%) | 35 (29.9) | 24 (40) | 11 (19.3) | 0.02 |
| Incomplete maturation arrest, No. (%) | 16 (13.7) | 5 (8.3) | 11 (19.3) | 0.1 |
| Normal parenchyma, No. (%) | 30 (25.6) | 3 (5) | 27 (47.4) | <0.001 |
| Johnsen score, median (IQR) | 4 (1–8) | 3 (1–4) | 6 (4–8) | <0.001 |
IQR, interquartile range; CCI, Charlson Comorbidity Index; tT, total testosterone; SHBG, sex hormone-binding globulin; cFT, circulating free testosterone (calculated using the Vermeulen formula); InhB, Inhibin B; AMH, anti-Müllerian hormone; TSH, thyroid-stimulating hormone; E2, 17β-oestradiol; PRL, prolactin; Hb, haemoglobin; PCR, protein-C reactive; mTESE, microdissection testicular sperm extraction; Hormone reference values are reported. Medians and interquartile ranges (IQR) or frequencies and proportions were reported for continuous or categorical variables, respectively. The Mann–Whitney and the Chi-square tests were used to compare the statistical significance of differences in the distribution of continuous or categorical variables among patients with +SR and −SR, respectively.