Abstract
Recently, the confocal laser microscope (CLM) has been used in our department, particularly for patients with hematuria and male infertility, without requiring fixation and staining. In this study, urine specimens from 31 patients with hematuria were collected. Twenty three patients had urological disease and 8 had glomerular disease. The CLM of the urine specimens showed a marked morphplogical difference between dysmorphic and isomorphic erythrocytes. The sensitivity and specificity for urological disease by CLM were 100% and 95.7%, whereas those for glomerular disease were 100% and 87.5%.
Semen specimens from 27 fertile men and 14 infertile men were collected. The sperm showed some morphplogical difference between fertile men and infertile men by the CLM. It was supposed that the good sperm had narrow sperm head, long sperm midpiece and wide acrosomal region of sperm head. By the way, semen specimens from 3 patients with hematospermia were collected. The red-blood-cells in semen were isomsrphic by the CLM.
From these results, it seems like that the CLM makes it simpler and easier to evaluate the morphology of the erythrocyte in urine and sperm. The CLM can be a good assistant diagnostic modality for patients with hematuria and investigative modality for male infertility.
