- Sertoli-cell-only syndrome (germinal cell aplasia).

Sertoli-cell-only syndrome (SCO)

-Def:- It is a condition in which only Sertoli cells line the seminiferous tubules of the testes and characterized by male sterility (due to azoospermia) without sexual abnormality.

- Synonyms:-

• Del Castillo syndrome.
• Germ cell aplasia.

-The etiology (1):-

• Most causes of SCO syndrome are idiopathic. A congenital absence of germ cells due to failure of migration of gonocytes is theoretically possible.
• Massive deletions in the azoospermia factor (AZF) region of the Y chromosome. found.
• Exposure to chemicals and toxins may cause SCO; however, direct cause-and-effect relationships in humans have been difficult to document.
• Klinefelter syndrome, 47 XXY, results in a characteristic biopsy appearance of SCO and Leydig cell hyperplasia.
  
  

N.B:- Attempting to distinguish between primary (congenital) and secondary (acquired) SCO syndrome is of no prognostic significance.

- Clinical picture:-

Patients is normal and have normal secondary male features and have normal or small-sized testes.

- Diagnosis:-

• Testicular biopsy would confirm the absence of spermatozoa .
• It is characterized histologically by complete loss of the germinal epithelium in testicular tubules, and clinically by aspermia.

 (The picture from Department of Pathology - University of Oklahoma)

-No known effective treatment exists.

Return to list of medical syndromes here

*References:-

(1)Sertoli-Cell-Only Syndrome(emedicine)