In men suffering from obstructive azoospermia (OA), surgical sperm retrieval (SR) can be performed for use with intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI). Several techniques of surgical SR exist, with various results. In our facility, we have developed the open epididymal spermatozoa aspiration (OESA) procedure. The aim of this study was to report on the sperm retrieval rate (SRR), reproductive outcome and neonatal outcome of OESA followed by ICSI. In addition, we have investigated possible predictors of successful SR and clinical pregnancy. A total of 231 men who were treated with OESA were included in this retrospective analysis, together with their female partners. We found an overall SRR of 76.6%. Serum FSH was a significant negative predictor of successful SR (odds ratio 0.87; 95% CI 0.78-0.98; p = 0.021). Overall cumulative pregnancy rate was 50.8%. Higher age (odds ratio 0.90; p < 0.001) and frozen vs. fresh embryo transfer (odds ratio 0.56; p = 0.004) were negatively associated with clinical pregnancy in multivariable analysis. Reproductive and neonatal outcomes did not differ according to obstruction cause. We conclude that OESA is a reliable and safe method for surgical SR in men suffering from OA.
Keywords: assisted reproductive techniques; azoospermia; intracytoplasmic sperm injection; male infertility; sperm retrieval.
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