Sperm Vitality and Necrozoospermia: Diagnosis, Management, and Results of a Global Survey of Clinical Practice

Ashok Agarwal (1) , Rakesh Sharma (1) , Sajal Gupta (1) , Florence Boitrelle (2, 3) , Renata Finelli (1) , Neel Parekh (1) , Damayanthi Durairajanayagam , Ramadan Saleh , Mohamed Arafa (1, 4, 5) , Chak Lam Cho (6) , Ala'A Farkouh (1) , Amarnath Rambhatla (7) , Ralf Henkel (1, 8, 9) , Paraskevi Vogiatzi , Nicholas Tadros , Parviz Kavoussi (10) , Edmund Ko (11) , Kristian Leisegang (9) , Hussein Kandil (12) , Ayad Palani (13) , Gianmaria Salvio (14) , Taymour Mostafa (15) , Osvaldo Rajmil (16) , Saleem Ali Banihani (17) , Samantha Schon (18) , Tan Le (19) , Ponco Birowo (20) , Gökhan Çeker , Juan Alvarez , Juan Manuel Corral Molina , Christopher C.K. Ho (21) , Aldo Calogero (22) , Kareim Khalafalla (23) , Mesut Berkan Duran , Shinnosuke Kuroda (1) , Giovanni Colpi , Armand Zini (24) , Christina Anagnostopoulou , Edoardo Pescatori , Eric Chung (25) , Ettore Caroppo , Fotios Dimitriadis (26) , Germar-Michael Pinggera (27) , Gian Maria Busetto (28) , Giancarlo Balercia (14) , Haitham Elbardisi (23, 5) , Hisanori Taniguchi (29) , Hyun Jun Park (30) , Israel Maldonado Rosas , Jean de La Rosette , Jonathan Ramsay (31) , Kasonde Bowa , Mara Simopoulou (32) , Marcelo Gabriel Rodriguez , Marjan Sabbaghian (33) , Marlon Martinez (34) , Mohamed Ali Sadighi Gilani (33) , Mohamed Al-Marhoon (35) , Raghavender Kosgi , Rossella Cannarella (22) , Sava Micic , Shinichiro Fukuhara (36) , Sijo Parekattil (37) , Sunil Jindal , Taha Abo-Almagd Abdel-Meguid (38, 39) , Yoshiharu Morimoto , Rupin Shah (40)

1 Cleveland Clinic
2 CHI Poissy-Saint-Germain
3 BREED - Biologie de la Reproduction, Environnement, Epigénétique & Développement
4 Hamad Medical Corporation [Doha, Qatar]
5 Weill Cornell Medicine [Qatar]
6 CUHK - The Chinese University of Hong Kong [Hong Kong]
7 Henry Ford Health System
8 Imperial College London
9 UWC - University of the Western Cape
10 UTSA - The University of Texas at San Antonio
11 Loma Linda University
12 Fakih IVF Fertility Center
13 University of Garmian
14 UNIVPM - Polytechnic University of Marche [Ancona, Italy] / Università Politecnica delle Marche [Ancona, Italia]
15 Cairo University - Faculty of Medicine
16 Fundació Puigvert [Barcelona, Spain]
17 JUST - Jordan University of Science and Technology [Irbid, Jordan]
18 University of Michigan Medical School [Ann Arbor]
19 PNTUM - Pham Ngoc Thach Medical University [Ho Chi Minh city, Vietnam]
20 Faculty of Medicine [Jakarta, Indonesia]
21 Taylor’s University
22 Unict - Università degli studi di Catania = University of Catania
23 Hamad medical corporation
24 McGill University = Université McGill [Montréal, Canada]
25 UQ [All campuses : Brisbane, Dutton Park Gatton, Herston, St Lucia and other locations] - The University of Queensland
26 Aristotle University of Thessaloniki
27 IMU - Innsbruck Medical University = Medizinische Universität Innsbruck
28 Unifg - Università degli Studi di Foggia = University of Foggia
29 Kansai Medical University
30 PNU - Pusan National University
31 Hammersmith Hospital NHS Imperial College Healthcare
32 NKUA - National and Kapodistrian University of Athens
33 Royan Institute for Reproductive Biomedicine [Tehran, Iran]
34 UNIVERSITY OF SANTO TOMAS MANILA PHL
35 SQU - Sultan Qaboos University
36 Osaka University [Osaka]
37 UCF - University of Central Florida [Orlando]
38 Minia University
39 King Abdulaziz University
40 Lilavati Hospital and Research Centre

Sperm vitality testing is a basic semen examination that has been described in the World Health Organization (WHO) Laboratory Manual for the Examination and Processing of Human Semen from its primary edition, 40 years ago. Several methods can be used to test sperm vitality, such as the eosin-nigrosin (E-N) stain or the hypoosmotic swelling (HOS) test. In the 6th (2021) edition of the WHO Laboratory Manual, sperm vitality assessment is mainly recommended if the total motility is less than 40%. Hence, a motile spermatozoon is considered alive, however, in certain conditions an immotile spermatozoon can also be alive. Therefore, the differentiation between asthenozoospermia (pathological decrease in sperm motility) and necrozoospermia (pathological decrease in sperm vitality) is important in directing further investigation and management of infertile patients. The causes leading to necrozoospermia are diverse and can either be local or general, testicular or extra-testicular. The andrological management of necrozoospermia depends on its etiology. However, there is no standardized treatment available presently and practice varies among clinicians. In this study, we report the results of a global survey to understand current practices regarding the physician order of sperm vitality tests as well as the management practices for necrozoospermia. Laboratory and clinical scenarios are presented to guide the reader in the management of necrozoospermia with the overall objective of establishing a benchmark ranging from the diagnosis of necrozoospermia by sperm vitality testing to its clinical management.

Mots clés: Asthenozoospermia; Eosine Yellowish-(YS); Infertility; Nigrosin; Spermatozoa; Vitality

Domaines: Biologie de la reproduction

Ashok Agarwal, Rakesh Sharma, Sajal Gupta, Florence Boitrelle, Renata Finelli, et al.. Sperm Vitality and Necrozoospermia: Diagnosis, Management, and Results of a Global Survey of Clinical Practice. The World Journal of Men's Health, 2021, 39, ⟨10.5534/wjmh.210149⟩. ⟨hal-03413993⟩