Percutaneous Epidiymal Sperm Aspiration (PESA)
For the zero sperm count (azoospermia) man, sperm can be retrieved in some cases from the portion above the testis called the epididymis for example in cases of congenital absence of the vas deferens – a condition in which both the tubes transporting sperm to the exterior are absent from birth. The sperm thus retrieved by andrologist can then be used for injecting the wife’s oocytes by ICSI and thereby help give the couple their own biological offspring.
Testicular Sperm Aspiration (TESA)
For some patients with a zero sperm count (azoospermia), sperm can often be retrieved directly from the testes using a fine needle aspiration technique – immature sperm thus retrieved can then be matured in vitro and injected into the wife’s oocytes by ICSI to achieve a viable pregnancy.