Meiotic arrest in azoospermic men: current implications of a recently reported novel technique for classification of arrest stage

摘要

Azoospermic patients represent approximately 15% of all male infertility cases worldwide, with non-obstructive azoo-spermia (NOA) representing approximately 6O°/o of these cases. However, our understanding of the genetic and molecular basis for these abnormalities is lacking in approximately 85% of men with NOA (1). We currently classify NOA into three histological subtypes based on findings during testicular sperm extraction (TESE); Sertoli-cell-only syndrome, early and late maturation arrest (MA), and hypospermatogenesis.