Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to G M Colpi.
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This procedure was devised in an attempt to treat azoospermia caused by severe vas obstruction. An artificial spermatocele is prepared by resection of the vas slightly distal to the epididymal-deferential ansa and anastomosing onto its proximal stump a piece of Dardik's prosthesis sealed at the far end. During the partner's ovulatory period the spermatocele fluid is aspirated, mixed with fertile donor seminal plasma and used for artificial insemination. To date 8 subjects have had the operation: spermatocele fluids of 4 contained some highly motile spermatozoa with normal ability to penetrate cervical mucus for some months. Spermatocele implantation onto the vas apparently has the following advantages: the anatomic and functional integrity of the epididymis is maintained, the storage function of the epididymal-deferential ansa is preserved, and the risk of spermatocele collapse seems to be reduced by the high "vis a tergo" developed during ejaculation.
The diagnostic usefulness of round cells in seminal fluid is evaluated by the Authors in this study. The number of round cells may be increased absolutely or relatively both in inflammatory conditions or in dyspermias and differentiation of the various types of cells in stained smears and evaluation of percentages relative to the number of spermatozoa can be of considerable value for clinical purposes.
A simple method of splitting ejaculates into 10-15 consecutive fractions proved to be valuable for separating proteins of prostatic and vesicular origin. After blocking autoproteolysis by EDTA and PMSF the fractions of four multi-fraction split-ejaculates were studied by one-dimensional electrophoresis in the presence of SDS (slab SDS-PAGE). Two split-ejaculates were further analyzed by isoelectrofocusing (PAGIEF). The zinc and fructose distributions were determined for one of the samples. The results show i) that the initial third, roughly, of the ejaculate contains proteins previously characterized as of prostatic origin (Balerna et al., 1982 a); ii) that these initial fractions have a high zinc/fructose ratio; iii) that the vesicular portion of the ejaculate is characterized by low zinc/fructose ratio and by fairly high amounts of low molecular-weight proteins and; iiii) that the proteins of the initial (prostatic) part of the ejaculate are mainly acidic-neutral whereas some proteins of the final (vesicular part) have a strong cationic character.
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The diagnosis of azoospermia or severe oligospermia that is made using conventional techniques (testicular biopsy, epididymal exploration, and vasovesiculography) may in some cases remain a dilemma. In such circumstances, post-testicular causes of obstruction must be evaluated. Following the clinical experience acquired in a selected population of 150 severely infertile subjects, the total sperm count in the fluid obtained from the bladder after a seminal tract washout during vasovesiculography has proved to be a valid tool to diagnose the location of the (sub-)obstruction in the seminal tract in complicated cases. Some representative cases are presented. In particular, seminal tract washout (STW) helps to identify functional distal seminal tract emptying disturbances and epididymal incomplete obstruction.