Impact of unilateral acute testicular ischemia on the contralateral testis of rabbits in anesthetic and conscious states / 中华男科学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To compare the impact of unilateral acute testicular ischemia on the hemodynamics and histology of the contralateral testis of the rabbits under consistent anesthesia with that of the rabbits in the conscious state.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Forty-two healthy male white rabbits were randomly divided into an anesthetic group (Group A) to receive injection of sodium pentobarbital (PS) and a non-anesthetic group (Group B), each including a control group of 5 animals (A0 and B0), an incomplete testicular ischemia group of 8 (A1 and B1), and a complete testicular ischemia group of 8 (A2 and B2). Testicular ischemia models were constructed by color Doppler ultrasonography. Contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) was used to observe the perfusion of the contralateral testes before and after ligating and loosening the unilateral spermatic cord in each experimental group. The control animals also underwent CEUS and measurement of the heart rate (HR) and blood pressure (BP) at the corresponding time. Histological structure changes in the contralateral testes of the rabbits were observed in both anesthetic and conscious states.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>PS anesthesia markedly suppressed the HR and BP of the rabbits. The parameters in Groups of A0, A1 and A2 showed no statistically significant changes after unilateral ligation of the spermatic cord, while Groups B1 and B2 displayed significantly decreased peak-base difference (PBD) and prolonged arrival time (AT) and half time of descending peak intensity (HT). Groups A1, B1 and B2 showed significantly increased PBD and prolonged HT shortly after loosening the spermatic cord. Focal pathological and ultrastructural changes were observed in the contralateral testes of the ischemic rabbits, but no significant difference was found in Johnson's score in comparison with the controls. The apoptotic cells were remarkably increased in Groups A1, B1 and B2.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Acute testicular ischemia may induce injury to the contralateral testis to some degree, and a reflexive sympathetic response may cause hemodynamic changes in the non-anesthetic state. And the neural and vascular inhibitory effects of anesthesia could make insignificant changes of blood perfusion in the contralateral testis.</p>

Ischemic postconditioning reduces testis ischemia-reperfusion injury in rabbits / 中华男科学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the protective effect of ischemic postconditioning (IP) against different degrees of testicular ischemia-reperfusion (IR) injury in rabbits.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Forty-two white male rabbits were equally randomized into 7 groups: a control, 3 IR (R1, R2 and R3), and 3 IP (P1, P2 and P3) groups. Testicular models of different degrees of ischemia were established in the IR and IP groups. Before reperfusion, ultrasonography showed homogeneous echoes with slightly decreased blood flow in R1 and P1, heterogeneous echoes with obviously decreased blood flow in R2 and P2, lamellar or fragmental low echo areas absent of blood flow signals in R3 and P3. Then the IR groups were directly subjected to perfusion, and the IP groups to 3 episodes of 30-second reperfusion followed by 30-second ischemia. All the groups underwent contrast-enhanced ultrasonography (CEUS) before reperfusion and, after 3 days, examined for the contents of malonaldehyde (MDA), superoxide dismutase (SOD) and histology, and observed for the pathological changes of the testicular tissue.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Before reperfusion, no significant differences were found in the CEUS parameters beta, time-to- peak (TTP), peak-base intensity (PBD) and half of declining time (DT/2) between R1 and P1, R2 and P2, and R3 and P3 (P>0.05). There were remarkable differences in MDA and SOD between R1 and P1, and R2 and P2 (P<0.05), but not between R3 and P3 (P >0.05). Johnson's score, apoptosis index and ultrastructure showed marked differences between R1 and P1 (P<0.05) but not between R2 and P2, and R3 and P3 (P >0.05).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>IP can attenuate IR-induced testis injury, but the effect varies with the degree of ischemia, and its pathological manifestation differs from the biochemical one.</p>

Ultrasonographic appearance of experimental testicular ischemia and protective effect of allopurinol / 中华男科学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the correlation of the ultrasonographic appearance of different degrees of experimentally induced acute unilateral testicular ischemia with the protective effect of allopurinol.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Forty-two male white rabbits were equally randomized into 7 groups: sham-operation control, ischemic A, B and C, and treatment D, E and F. Models of different degrees of unilateral testicular ischemia were established in the ischemic and treatment groups under the dynamic observation by color Doppler ultrasound. The ischemic testes showed slightly decreased homogeneous echoes and flow signals in groups A and D, obviously decreased heterogeneous echoes and flow signals in groups B and E, and radial or fragmental low-echo areas and disappearance of flow signals in groups C and F. The ischemic groups received reperfusion after the appearance of the above ultrasonographic changes, while the treatment groups following the intraperitoneal injection of allopurinol at 200 mg/kg. Contrast-enhanced ultrasonography (CEUS) was performed on the bilateral testes before and 3 days after the reperfusion. After 3 days of breeding, the histological changes and malondialdehyde (MDA) contents of the ischemic testes were observed, and the correlation was analyzed between the protective effect of allopurinol and the ultrasonographic appearance of different degrees of acute unilateral testicular ischemia.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>CEUS showed fast wash-in and fast wash-out in the sham-operation control group, slow wash-in and slow wash-out in groups A and B and extensive central filling defect in group C before the reperfusion. Fast wash-in and slow wash-out were observed in all the ischemic groups 3 days after the reperfusion, most obviously in group C. Groups D, E and F exhibited the same CEUS appearance as A, B and C before and 3 days after the reperfusion. Johnsen's scores were significantly increased in groups D (9.10 +/- 0.23) and E (7.03 +/- 0.20) in comparison with A (8.53 +/- 0.22) and B (5.82 +/- 0.33) (P < 0.05), but with no significant differences between C (2.30 +/- 0.53) and F (2.45 +/- 0.33) (P > 0.05). The rates of apoptosis were significantly decreased in groups D ([1.68 +/- 0.43]%) and E ([12.53 +/- 0.59]%) compared with A ([7.12 +/- 0.84]%) and B ([20.87 +/- 1.59]%) (P < 0.05), but with no significant differences between C ([52.93 +/- 2.62 ]%) and F ([51.23 +/- 2.53 ]%) (P > 0.05). Significant decreases of MDA contents in the ischemic testes were observed in groups D ([0.64 +/- 0.05] nmol/mg prot), E ([1.59 +/- 0.06] nmol/mg prot) and F ([3.10 +/- 0.17] nmol/mg prot) in comparison with A ([1.38 +/- 0.07] nmol/mg prot), B ([2.11 +/- 0.08] nmol/mg prot) and C ([3.25 +/- 0.14] nmol/mg prot) (P < 0.05).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Allopurinol contributes to the recovery of spermatogenesis when testicular ischemia is sonographically shown to be mild or moderate, but produces no significant effect when it is shown to be severe. Ultrasonography helps to choose the right therapy of testicular torsion and predict spermatogenesis of ischemic testes after reperfusion.</p>

Correlation between sonographic appearance of experimental testicular ischemia and histological changes of the testis after reperfusion / 中华男科学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To discuss the correlation between sonographic appearance of different degrees of acute unilateral testicular ischemia and histological changes of the testis after reperfusion.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Thirty-two male rabbits were equally divided into a control (sham operation) group and 3 ischemia groups. Unilateral testicular ischemia models were established under the color Doppler ultrasound (CDU) observation and allocated according to different degrees of ischemia to Group A (with homogeneous echoes and slightly decreased flow signals), B (with heterogeneous echoes and obviously decreased flow signals) and C (with radial or small-shredded low echoes and absence of flow signals). Then contrast-enhanced ultrasonography (CEUS) was performed, followed by reperfusion of the ischemic testes. A month later, the histological changes of the testes were observed and the correlation of the histological changes with the sonographic and CEUS manifestations was analyzed.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Concerning the CEUS parameters such as the arrival time (AT), reperfusion rate, time-to-peak (TTP), half descent time (DT/2) of the ischemic testes, Groups A and B showed significant differences from the control group (P < 0.05). The peak-base difference (PBD) was significant in Group B (P < 0.05) but not in A (P > 0.05), and no enhancement was seen in Group C. As for Johnson's scores obtained 1 month later, Group A exhibited no significant difference (8.70 +/- 0.39) (P > 0.05), Group B showed significant difference (6.01 +/- 0.88) (P < 0.05), and Group C extremely significant difference (3.16 +/- 1.05) (P< 0.001) from the control group (9.10 +/- 0.11).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>CEUS is superior to CDU in evaluating the perfusion of testicular ischemia. Sonographic appearances of testicular ischemia are significantly correlated with histological changes of the testis after reperfusion. Ultrasonography helps to predict the spermatogenetic function of ischemic testes after reperfusion.</p>

Relationship between ultrasonographic grading of varicocele and changes of seminal parameters after varicocelectomy / 中华男科学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To discuss the correlation of ultrasonographic grading of varicocele (VC) with the changes of seminal parameters after varicocelectomy.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>A total of 129 cases of VC were diagnosed by scrotal color Doppler ultrasonography (CDU) and graded into 3 groups: VC I, VC II and VC III, according to three different grading indexes: the regurgitant volume of pampiniform plexus veins (PPV), the maximum diameter of PPV and the combination of the regurgitant volume and the maximum diameter of PPV. All the patients underwent high ligation of the spermatic vein and semen analysis was performed before and after varicocelectomy according to the WHO guidelines.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>With the maximum diameter of PPV as the grading index, there were statistically significant differences in the seminal parameters of VC III (P < 0.05) but not in those of VC I and VC II (P > 0.05) before and after varicocelectomy, while based on the regurgitant volume of PPV or the combination of the regurgitant volume and the maximum diameter of PPV, the differences were insignificant in VC I (P > 0.05), significant in VC II (P < 0.05) and extremely significant in VC III (P < 0.01). No significant differences were found in the rate of sperm abnormality among the 3 groups after varicocelectomy (P > 0.05).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Different grading indexes influence the changes of seminal parameters after varicocelectomy. The regurgitant volume of PPV and the combination of the regurgitant volume and the maximum diameter of PPV are more reasonable and reliable as the grading indexes of VC. Different grades of VC respond differently to varicocelectomy. Whether VC I necessitates varicocelectomy needs to be further investigated.</p>