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Infertility (Including Varicocele)

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Abdominal Imaging

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Abstract

Infertility is defined as an inability to initiate a pregnancy in spite of unprotected intercourse of over 12 months. Infertility is caused by either male factors or female factors. Male factors are fully responsible for infertile couples in about 30% and, in another 20%, the male factors contribute to infertility along with female factors. Therefore, male factors are found in up to approximately 50% of infertile couples (Brugh and Lipshultz 2004). The evaluation of infertile men begins with a detailed medical history and a focused physical examination and then proceeds to appropriate laboratory tests including the semen analysis, the hormonal assays, the sperm function tests, and the genetic tests. Imaging studies can be used selectively as part of the comprehensive evaluation of male infertility for specific indications. In this chapter, we review the spectrum of diseases responsible for male infertility, discuss appropriate imaging modalities to be proven for specific clinical settings, and illustrate characteristic imaging features that permit specific diagnosis, with three main headings of obstruction in sperm passage, defect in sperm production, and impairment in sperm function.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Radiology, Seoul Metropolitan Boramae Medical Center, Seoul National University, College of Medicine, 39, Boramae-Gil, Dongjak-Gu, Seoul, 156-707, South Korea

    Dr. Min Hoan Moon M.D., Ph.D.

  2. Department of Radiology, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul National University, College of Medicine, #28 Yongon-dong, Chongno-gu, Seoul, 110-744, South Korea

    Dr. Seung Hyup Kim M.D., Ph.D.

Authors
  1. Dr. Min Hoan Moon M.D., Ph.D.
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  2. Dr. Seung Hyup Kim M.D., Ph.D.
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Min Hoan Moon M.D., Ph.D. .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Radiology, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany

    Bernd Hamm

  2. Department of Radiology, Case Western Reserve University, University Hospitals Case Medical Center, Cleveland, OH, USA

    Pablo R. Ros

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© 2013 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

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Moon, M.H., Kim, S.H. (2013). Infertility (Including Varicocele). In: Hamm, B., Ros, P.R. (eds) Abdominal Imaging. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-13327-5_211

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-13327-5_211

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-642-13326-8

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-642-13327-5

  • eBook Packages: MedicineReference Module Medicine

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