Objective: To compare the incidences of Y chromosome microdeletion between patients with azoospermia or severe oligozoospermia with varicocele( VC) and those without VC and investigate the etiopathogenisis of their infertility.
Methods: We included 137 VC patients in group A(70 with azoospermia as group A1 and 67 with severe oligozoospermia as group A2),135 non-VC patients in group B(69 with azoospermia as group B1 and 66 with severe oligozoospermia as group B2),and 30 normal fertile men as controls in group C. We detected Y chromosome microdeletion in different groups using multiplex PCR.
Results: Y chromosome microdeletion was detected in 23(16. 8%) of the patients in group A, another 23(17. 0%) in group B,and 0 in group C. The rates of Y chromosome microdeletion were 22. 9% in group A1,10. 4% in group A2,20. 3% in group B1,and 13. 6% in group B2,and the microdeletion rate in the patients with severe oligozoospermia( groups A1 and B1) was 23. 3%(31 /133). No statistically significant difference was found between groups A and B( P > 0. 05).
Conclusion: There are no significant differences in the rate of Y chromosome microdeletion between varicocele and non-varicocele patients with azoospermia or severe oligozoospermia, and Y chromosome microdeletion is one of the causes of azoospermia and severe oligozoospermia with varicocele.