#1206
Testicular Tissue Touch Print Smear for Infertile Males: Values Beyond Diagnosis

William Huang¹, I-Shen Huang¹, Cheng-Han Tsai¹, Chen-Hao Hsu¹

¹ Taipei Veterans General Hospital, Urology, Taipei

Introduction:
Testicular touch print smear (TPS) is a rapid cytological staining technique that allows detailed evaluation of spermatogenesis from a small piece of testicular tissue, retrieved either via biopsy or procedures like microdissection testicular sperm extraction (mTESE). TPS provides real-time information on sperm yield, helping to determine when to conclude surgery and saving valuable operating room time. Beyond its diagnostic utility, we found that TPS may offer additional clinical value. We explored two potential additional values of TPS: 1. Discrepancies between TPS findings and traditional pathological diagnoses. 2. Preservation of testicular volume and testosterone levels postoperatively.

Materials and Methods:
In this retrospective study, we reviewed patients who underwent two or more mTESE procedures at our institution over the past five years.

Results:
A total of 105 cases were analyzed. Changes in testicular size and serum testosterone levels were recorded. No significant postoperative changes were observed in either parameter. Diagnostic discrepancies between TPS and pathology were found in approximately 32% of cases, including 11% where TPS findings were < pathology, and 21% where TPS showed > pathology. TPS < pathology was mainly seen in cases of late maturation arrest (LMA) and hypospermatogenesis. TPS > pathology occurred mostly in Sertoli cell-only syndrome (SCOS) and hypospermatogenesis.