MR spectroscopy can locate sperm in infertile men non-invasively

9 February 2010

Magnetic resonance spectroscopy can be used to determine if men with no sperm in their ejaculate — a condition known as azoospermia — still have sperm in their testes. It may remove the need for invasive procedures.

The new study, published in Human Reproduction, found that MR spectroscopy, a simple metabolic scan that combines the use of 1H spectroscopy with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), can be used to determine the likelihood of finding sperm in men with non-obstructive azoospermia (NOA).

The study’s lead author is Paul Turek, MD, former professor and endowed chair at the University of California San Francisco and founder of The Turek Clinic.

“Some men with azoospermia may still have small amounts of sperm in the testicle, but determining which of these men has retrievable sperm is challenging. This is a novel and exciting application of metabolic scanning that shows great potential to eliminate invasive biopsies and gives new hope to infertile men who wish to father children,” said Dr. Turek, a men’s reproductive health expert.

Traditional methods for evaluating if sperm exist, including testicular biopsy and microdissection are highly invasive and have only a 60 percent to 65 percent success rate. FNA Sperm Mapping, pioneered by Dr. Turek, is far less invasive, but still involves the use of fine needle aspiration to obtain tissue samples from the testes.

In contrast, MR Spectroscopy, or magnetic resonance spectroscopic imaging, is a non-invasive scan that measures metabolic activity in the testis.

The study shows that the scan is as accurate as a more invasive testis biopsy in reading several abnormal patterns of sperm production typically associated with infertility and azoospermia. It also shows that testis tissue containing spermatids or sperm carry a distinct chemical signature that can be distinguished by MR Spectroscopy.

Additionally, MR Spectroscopy has the ability to evaluate testis metabolism in as many as 100 areas within the testis, significantly increasing the ability to sample for sperm well beyond any of the more invasive techniques commonly used today.

“Trust me when I say that men would rather have a non-invasive scan done than have a surgical procedure to determine whether or not they might be able to be fathers,” says Dr. Turek.