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AmJCaseRep

Comparison of the precision in determination of human sperm concentration between an improved Neubauer haematocytometer and Makler counting chamber

Katarzyna Marchlewska, Eliza Filipiak, Elżbieta Oszukowska, Renata Walczak-Jędrzejowska, Krzysztof Kula, Jolanta Słowikowska-Hilczer

Med Sci Tech 2010; 51(2): 105-108

ID: 881257

Available online:

Published: 2010-11-15


#881257

Background:    One of the most difficult parts of semen analysis is the evaluation of sperm concentration. One aspect of quality assurance is selection and validation of appropriate techniques and equipment.
    Material/Methods:    The comparison of two methods of sperm concentration analysis was performed using an improved Neubauer haemocytometer and Makler counting chamber. The study population consisted of 100 men recruited from seminal laboratory patients.
    Results:    There were no significant differences between the mean concentration of spermatozoa achieved with both chambers for the whole group (38.2±60.4 and 37.8±42.3 ×106 sperms/ml, for Neubauer and Makler chambers, respectively). Nevertheless, after division into two subgroups: 1) normozoospermia (≥20×106/ml, n=51) and 2) oligozoospermia (<20×106/ml, n=49), differences between results were statistically significant for oligozoospermia (6.6±3.9 and 10.3±5.9×106 sperm/ml, for Neubauer and Makler chambers, respectively; p<0.05). The odds ratio was 0.09 for a hypothesis that odds of making mistake with the Makler chamber in comparison to the Neubauer haemocytometer was higher in the group with oligozoospermia than normozoospermia. The percentage of differences between Neubauer and Makler chambers was calculated. The average percentage of differences was 113% for normo- and 201% for oligozoospermia.
    Conclusions:    The results indicate that the Neubauer haematocytometer is more precise diagnostic tool for the evaluation of spermatozoa concentration in comparison to the Makler counting chamber. Although less complicated, assessment of sperm count by the Makler chamber is an inaccurate method when semen samples from patients with oligozoospermia are concerned.

Keywords: sperm count-methods, normozoospermia, oligozoospermia, Neubauer haematocytometer, Makler counting chamber



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