Jonathan P. Dyke1,2, Darius A. Paduch3, Joseph Kiper3, Eric Aronowitz1, Peter N. Schlegel3, Douglas Ballon1,2
1Citigroup Biomedical Imaging Center, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, NY, USA; 2Radiology, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, NY, USA; 3Urology, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, NY, USA
31P chemical shift imaging (CSI) at 3.0 Tesla provided localized metabolic information in the testes of subjects presenting with male infertility. Spectroscopic results were compared with testicular sperm extraction (TSE) which confirmed the presence of viable sperm. The PM/β-ATP ratio was decreased in subjects that lacked viable sperm compared to those containing viable sperm. This technique may provide information aiding clinicians in finding regions of viability in the testes during TSE. Future utility of 31P spectroscopic imaging may allow non-invasive serial assessment of testicular function that would allow for patient specific timing and tailoring of therapy.