ROLE OF COLOR DOPPLER ULTRASONOGRAPHIC PARAMETER AS A PREDICTOR OF SPERMATOGENESIS AND INFERTILITY

Abstract

Objective: Androgens target the testicular arteries, which may be aberrant in men who are infertile. One of the fastest and most accurate ways to measure testicular blood flow is by color Doppler ultrasonography (CDUS), which combines anatomical and velocity data. The goal of this research is to determine whether testicular artery end-diastolic velocity (EDV), peak systolic velocity (PSV), and resistive index (RI) can be used to differentiate between various types of dyspermia. Methods: This was a prospective observational study. In total, 90 patients were enrolled in the study which includes 27 patients with nonobstructive azoospermia (NOA), 19 patients with oligospermia (OL), 24 with obstructive azoospermia (OA), and 20 in the control group having normal sperm count and recent paternity. We compared variables such as EDV, PSV, RI, bilateral testicular volume, testosterone, and follicle-stimulating hormone among different dyspermic groups with the control group. Results: The mean age of the study participants was 31.5 years. PSV and RI in the NOA and OL groups were significantly lower compared to the control groups while the OA group was comparable with the control group. With respect to EDV, we observed a significantly lower value only in the NOA group compared to the control group. Significantly lower mean testicular volume and higher follicle-stimulating hormone levels were observed in the NOA group. Conclusion: Investigating male infertility can be challenging, but CDUS might be very helpful. When used routinely in clinical settings, the RI and PSV can be trustworthy markers for identifying infertility or dyspermic males, especially distinguishing between obstructive and unobstructive azoospermia.