Why is Testicular Biopsy Done?
A testicular biopsy can be done in the following situations:
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The man’s semen doesn’t contain sperm.
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For the process of IVF treatment for Intracytoplasmic sperm injection, it can help to recover the sperm cells
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Analysis for hormones reveals any abnormality and the semen need to be examined.
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Sometimes the testicular biopsy is done to identify the tumor.
Types of Testicular Biopsy In India At Delhi IVF
There are two different procedures for testicular biopsy
Percutaneous Biopsy
In this process a thin needle is inserted through the skin which also has a syringe
to collect testicular tissue and in this process, there is no need of any incision or stitches. Because it
is done through the skin it is called a percutaneous biopsy.
A core needle biopsy is a variant on this technique. It uses a thick, empty, spring-loaded needle
to extract a cylinder of cells. This is called a core sample. A core sample is a larger specimen
than one from a fine needle biopsy.
Open Biopsy
The Open Biopsy is a surgical procedure because these doctors need to open the scrotum and remove some part of
the testes. The area is first cleaned with antiseptic and local anesthesia is injected around the area of the
incision. A small cut is made to open the scrotum. Then the thick coat of tissue (tunica albuginea) covering
the testis is cut open to remove the seminiferous tubules. The opening in the testicles is stitched to close
the cut in the in the testis and then the skin is stitched. The procedure can be repeated on the other tests
if required.
Testicular biopsy is the last step needed to asses male infertility. Initially, the doctor orders blood
test for hormone levels and semen analysis for sperm count, motility, dead or alive sperms.
Semen examination can identify the following issues:
Low sperm count with abnormality
Low sperm motility
Azoospermia (No sperm found).
Often, blood tests and hormone tests confirm the causes of low or zero sperm counts but in case,
these tests are not enough to confirm, you need to go for a testicular biopsy.