Performed under general anesthesia, percutaneous testicular sperm retrieval uses a biopsy needle to extract a very small amount of testicular tissue. The tissue is scanned by an embryologist to locate sperm which can then be used in ICSI to fertilize a partner’s egg. The wound is closed using absorbable stitches.
In conditions such as testicular atrophy, Y deletions, Kleinfelter’s, or even post-chemotherapy/radiation, the testes do not produce adequate amounts of sperm. Using a microscope, a search is performed for testicular tubules that appear more developed and contain mature sperm. This procedure offers the most severe cases of male infertility the best chance of identifying sperm and proceeding with ICSI.