There is No Correlation Between Age and Testicular Sperm Extraction (TESE) Result in Klinefelter Patients

Andrew C Kramer, Robert D. Oates*
Boston University Medical Center, Boston, MA

Introduction:
Klinefelter syndrome (KS) patients with infertility may ultimately discuss testicular sperm extraction (TESE) and its optimal timing. Whether there is an age related decline in spermatogenic function is unknown. This study investigates the correlation between age and the presence/absence of sperm at time of TESE in this population.
Methods:
22 patients with KS undergoing TESE then ICSI were retrospectively reviewed. No patient had been treated for undervirilization or had been on androgen supplementation. The age and TESE results were recorded. The patients with/without sperm on TESE were correlated with their respective ages. A Student’s T-Test was used to assess statistical significance.
Results:
Of the 22 patients, ages ranged from 18-44. Seven patients (ages 30-39) had sperm at time of TESE, while 15 (ages 18-44) did not. The mean age for patients with sperm found was 33.6 +/- 3.1 years. The mean age of patients with no sperm was 33.1 +/- 7.1 years. The youngest 2 men, ages 18 and 20, did not have sperm found while a 39 year old did. There was no significant difference in age between men with and without sperm found on TESE (p-value=0.86).
Conclusions:
Current clinical practice dictates that TESE is performed only when ready for use in conjunction with ICSI. This study demonstrates that in KS patients presenting for infertility, age is identical in men who had sperm on TESE and those who did not. There is no compelling evidence that the poor level of spermatogenesis in KS patients declines with age..

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