An update on sperm retrieval techniques for azoospermic males

The use of non-ejaculated sperm coupled with intracytoplasmic sperm injection has become a globally established procedure for couples with azoospermic male partners who wish to have biological offspring. Surgical methods have been developed to retrieve spermatozoa from the epididymides and the testes of such patients. This article reviews the methods currently available for sperm acquisition in azoospermia, with a particular focus on the perioperative, anesthetic and technical aspects of these procedures. A critical analysis of the advantages and disadvantages of these sperm retrieval methods is provided, including the authors' methods of choice and anesthesia preferences.

Interação clínica entre moléstia de Chagas e hipertensão arterial primária em um serviço de referência ambulatorial / Clinical relationship between Chagas' disease and primary arterial hypertension at an outpatient referral service

PURPOSE: To evaluate the clinical relationship between Chagas' disease and primary arterial hypertension. METHODS: The study involved 878 chronic chagasic outpatients followed by the Chagas' Disease Study Group of the University Hospital (Unicamp), over a 15-year period. Initially, the age, gender, race, clinical form of Chagas' disease and the presence of hypertension were noted for each patient. Subsequently, the data for matched hypertensive and normotensive chagasic patients were compared. RESULTS: Of the chagasic patients 37were hypertensive, of those, 65had some form of heart disease compared to 49in the normotensive group. Of those patients with Chagas' disease and arterial hypertension, 41were blacks and 35were caucasians. Fifty percent of the hypertensive chagasic patients were over 45 years old compared to only 29of the non-hypertensive patients. CONCLUSION: Most of the hypertensive chagasic patients were 45 or more years old and showed some degree of heart failure compared to the normotensive group.