Lecture 9: Testicular Pathology Flashcards
What kind of environment does sperm mature in
High glycerophosphorylcholine
Carnitine
Where are the three sites of injury for infertility?
- Pretesticular
- Hypothalamic Pituitary axis
- Exogenous Hormones
- Testicular
- Direct damage
- Germ cell elements
- Posttesticular
- Epididymis and beyond
What stimulates GnRH release?
- melatonin
- Norepinephrine
- Dopamine
- Histamine
What inhibits GnRH release?
- Testosterone
- Inhibin
- CRH
- Opiates, illness, stress
What injuries comprise pretesticular category?
- Androgen excess
- adrenal tumor
- testicular tumor
- anabolic steroids
- Estrogen Excess
- thyroid/adrenal dysfunction
- Kallman’s Syndrome
- Hyperprolactinemia (associated with azoospermia)
What injuries comprise testicular?
- Genetic
- Cryptorchidism
- Vascular disease
- Torsion, trauma
- Infection
- Drugs and Toxins
What injuries comprise posttesticular?
- Drugs and toxins
- Systemic disease
- Alcohol
- diabetes
- Sickle cell disease
- CRF (chronic renal failure)
What is Kallman’s Syndrome?
Secondary to congenital defect in GnRH secretion by hypothalamus
Anosmia associated with failure of GnRH secreting neurons to be present…
What are the key characteristics of Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia (CAH)?
Loss of 21-hydroxylase enzyme
Means that progesterone does not get converted to cortisol
Androgen excess, so inhibition of GnRH
Symptoms include
i. precocious puberty
ii. impairment of testicular maturation (paradoxically)
What is cryptorchidism?
When testes do not totally descend Accounts for 1% of infertility Maldescended and normal gonads Could be asymptomatic MoA not known
What is a congenital POST testicular infertility cause?
Cystic fibrosis
- epididymal cysts - absence of vas deferens
What is orchiopexy?
Pulling testes into scrotum
What are types of infection that can lead to testicular infertility?
- mumps
- e coli
- gonorrhea/syphilis
- tuberculosis
What is orchitis?
Inflammation of the testes
What are causes of ejaculatory dysfunction?
Diabetes
Spinal cord injury, MS
prostatectomy