Dr. Kanto gave a lecture on FNA Mapping at the symposium of the Japanese Society for Fertilization and Implantation held from July 28th to 29th.
FNA Mapping attracted a lot of attention, and the doctors who attended the lecture, who are conducting micro TESE, actively asked questions. Among them, there was a person who took pride in having conducted a large number of micro TESEs in Japan, and he expressed a critical personal opinion about FNA Mapping.
At the Kanto clinic we strongly believe that a highly accomplished surgeon strives to avoid unnecessary surgeries. We have heard surgery horror stories directly from friends and colleagues, such as undergoing an a laparotomy for appendicitis at a university hospital, and it being discovered that it was completely unnecessary. These episodes also apply to micro TESE for azoospermia.
Since 2004, our surgeons have been involved in many micro TESEs, and although we have contributed to the birth of many children, there are still many people from whom we were unable to collect sperm. As a result of that, we introduced FNA Mapping at our clinic, and although the number of micro TESE itself has decreased, the success rate of micro TESE has become almost 100%. That is because we confirm the presence and location of sperm before operating.
Today, a couple from western Japan who had undergone TESE/micro TESE and egg retrieval at multiple medical institutions a total of three times came to consult us. Among the doctors who repeated unsuccessful TESE/micro TESE are obstetricians and gynecologists, but also urologists. As reproductive medicine specialists and urologists, we would like to express the sentiment that if a doctor repeatedly incises a sperm-free testicle, they should be disqualified as a urologist.
Hopefully this can explain why we believe that the promotion of knowledge about FNA Mapping and demonstrations of it are so important. We will continue striving to improve the practice of urology in Japan.