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MRI findings of obstructive azoospermia: lesions in and out of pelvic cavity

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Abstract

Obstructive azoospermia (OA) is caused by excurrent duct obstruction, which can occur anywhere along the course of the male reproductive tract and is classically characterized by normal spermatogenesis. To be familiar with the imaging anatomy of normal and abnormal male genital ducts is essential to the diagnosis of OA. In some circumstances, OA can also be related to some specific syndromes; thus, making an accurate diagnosis may require an integral view of the whole abdomen and pelvis. MR is a great complementary imaging modality either for the detection of obstructive factors, especially for characterization of those indeterminate features on ultrasound, or for the identification of specific syndromes related to OA. In this article, a series of patients with OA caused by different kinds of lesions in and out of the pelvic cavity (abdomen) shown on MR imaging were included, and some cases of specific syndromes related to OA were also reviewed.

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Funding

This study has received funding by National Natural Science Foundation of China (81701747), Natural Science Foundation of Guangdong Province (2017A030313902).

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Author notes

  1. Huanjun Wang and Yang Peng contributed equally to this work, and they are co-first authors.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Radiology, The First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, No. 58 Zhongshan Road 2, Guangzhou, 510080, Guangdong, People’s Republic of China

    Huanjun Wang, Yang Peng, Wenhao Fu, Xiaoxiao Hu, Chang Li & Jian Guan

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  1. Huanjun Wang
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Correspondence to Jian Guan.

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Wang, H., Peng, Y., Fu, W. et al. MRI findings of obstructive azoospermia: lesions in and out of pelvic cavity. Abdom Radiol 45, 851–864 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00261-019-02375-8

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