Testicular biopsy: Indications and complications

Abstract

Copenhagen and at Royal HospitalJbrSiclc Children, Edinburgh (1974-1975

Epidemiological and Clinical Aspects of Carcinoma in situ of the Testis

“…In some patients, anti-sperm antibodies may appear in the serum shortly after the biopsy. However, the rise in the antibody titre is transient and insignificant [10]. Biopsy should be avoided if the testis has a palpable tumour, although it must be emphasized that spread of malignant cells has never been observed after testicular biopsy when CIS was present in the absence of invasive tumour.…”

Sympathetic auto-immune orchitis

“…Mechanical trauma due to the surgical removal of a biopsy specimen has been observed to cause damage to testicular histology in the rhesus monkey (Ploen & Lackgren, 1984) and in rats (Sjogren & Ploen, 1988), but their immunological character was uncertain. O n the other hand, an immunoreaction as a consequence of the testicular biopsy in humans seems to be a rare phenomenon and its clinical significance is questioned (Hjort et al, 1982). Iatrogenic obstruction of the ductal system may result in sperm antibodies in 60-70'/0 of vasectomized men (Linnet & Hjort, 1977) and occasionally a picture resembling auto-immune orchitis can be found in testicular biopsies of these cases or in postinfectious obstructions (Hendry et al, 1990).…”