(302) Intertest Reliability of Seminal Round Cells and Leukocytes Without Treatment in Men Presenting for Infertility
Authors: Sellke N , Chiu A , Zhou E , Rhodes S , Sun H , Tay K , Loeb A , Abou Ghayda R , Kim ST , Thirumavalavan N 
Published: February 2024

Introduction

Pyospermia may be due to infection or inflammation along the male reproductive tract. Semen round cells and leukocytes can have a major impact on the management of infertility yet we have a poor understanding of the natural history of patients with seminal round cells or pyospermia.

Objective

We aimed to assess the intertest reliability of seminal leukocytes and round cells within serial semen analyses in patients without treatment.

Methods

We conducted a retrospective review of men presenting to a high-volume fertility center for evaluation who had multiple semen analyses assessed for leukocytes between 2/1/2022 and 1/1/2023. Men with azoospermia or who received treatment for pyospermia including antibiotics or surgery in the interval between the tests were excluded. We recorded round cells, the presence of leukocytes, and days between tests. The presence of leukocytes was detected using QwikCheck™ Test Strips which report a positive result if the concentration of leukocytes was greater or equal to 1 million/ml. A Bland-Altman assessment of agreement was conducted to assess the agreement of the number of round cells between the first and second semen analysis. The limits of agreement (LoA) represent the 95% confidence intervals between which we expect most of the differences between measurements. The number of round cells was log-transformed prior to analysis as they were positively skewed. A Cohen Kappa test was used to assess the agreement between the presence of leukocytes in the first sample and the second sample.

Results

One hundred patients were included in the analysis. The mean time between tests was 75 days (SD: 68.3 days) ranging from 1 to 285 days. There was a median of 2.95 million round cells in the initial semen analysis and 2.45 million round cells in the follow-up semen analysis. Nineteen patients had positive leukocytes on the initial sample and fifteen on the second sample. Eight patients had persistently positive leukocytes. The assessment of agreement for the round cells in the initial and follow-up semen analysis shows a lower LoA of 22% and an upper LoA of 582% meaning that most measurements of round cells in the follow-up tests are estimated to be between 22% and 582% of the initial measurement. The wide range of LoAs suggests poor agreement between tests. The kappa for the presence of leukocytes in the first and second sample was 0.36 (CI 0.13-0.60) which would be considered a fair agreement.

Conclusions

Round cells and semen leukocytes are poorly understood but are used to aid in the diagnosis and management of male infertility. The number of round cells and the presence of pyospermia between samples varies greatly in patients even without treatment. Providers should consider these discrepancies prior to initiating treatment of pyospermia in men presenting for infertility. Further study is needed to gain a better understanding of how round cells and semen leukocytes should influence management of men with infertility. Providers should be cautious when using the presence of round cells or pyospermia to influence treatment as there is poor consistency between tests even without pyospermia treatment.

Disclosure

No.