Table 3.
Electron microscopy findings (the past 30 years; 1985–2015)
| EM findings | Site of biopsy n (%) |
Total (n = 226)a |
||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nasal mucosa (n = 90) |
Bronchial mucosa (n = 119) |
Sperm (n = 17) |
||
| No structural abnormalities | 1 (1.1) | 2 (1.7) | 1 (5.9) | 4 (1.8) |
| IDA defectsb | 21 (23.3) | 24 (20.2) | 0 | 45 (19.9) |
| IDA defects and MTDb | 5 (5.6) | 1 (0.8) | 1 (5.9) | 7 (3.1) |
| IDA defects and CA defects | 0 | 2 (1.7) | 0 | 2 (0.9) |
| IDA defects, CA defects and MTD | 1 (1.1) | 1 (0.8) | 0 | 2 (0.9) |
| ODA defects | 6 (6.7) | 8 (6.7) | 0 | 14 (6.2) |
| Both ODA and IDA defects | 23 (25.6) | 28 (23.5) | 6 (35.3) | 57 (25.2) |
| Both ODA and IDA defects and MTD | 2 (2.2) | 1 (0.8) | 2 (11.8) | 5 (2.2) |
| Both ODA and IDA defects and CA defects | 0 | 1 (0.8) | 0 | 1 (0.4) |
| Only MTD | 1 (1.1) | 0 | 2 (11.8) | 3 (1.3) |
| Only CA defects | 2 (2.2) | 0 | 1 (5.9) | 3 (1.3) |
| MTD and CA defects | 0 | 2 (1.7) | 0 | 2 (0.9) |
| Complicating compound cilia | 6 (6.7) | 11 (9.2) | 0 | 17 (7.5) |
| Abnormal ciliac | 2 (2.2) | 4 (3.4) | 0 | 6 (2.7) |
| Dynein arm defectc | 8 (8.9) | 22 (18.5) | 4 (23.5) | 34 (15.0) |
| NA | 12 (13.3) | 12 (10.1) | 0 | 24 (10.6) |
IDA (inner dynein arm), ODA (outer dynein arm), MTD (microtubule disorganization), CA (central apparatus), NA (not available)
aEM findings from 24 specimens (12 patients) were inconsistent between two specimen types, and excluded from this table
b“IDA defects” may include IDA defects with MTD not reported during the study period
cAbnormal cilia or dynein arm defects with no further detailed description