Testicular sperm extraction and ICSI in patients with post-chemotherapy non-obstructive azoospermia.

Abstract

146 MD-TESE procedures were performed in 74 patients presenting with non-obstructive azoospermia (NOA). Five of the 74 patients displayed a history of chemotherapy. Etiology of chemotherapies included testicular cancer, osteosarcoma, Ewing sarcoma, and malignant lymphoma of the stomach. Post-chemotherapy duration was 2.5-18 years. All patients underwent MD-TESE using local anesthesia with spermatic block and sedation. Extracted sperm was cryopreserved for ICSI. Histopathologic examination revealed Sertoli cell-only syndrome in all five patients; however, sperm were retrieved in 3 subjects. Post-chemotherapy MD-TESE and ICSI can be applied successfully in some patients with NOA. However, freezing semen prior to chemotherapy is recommended.