On the study of hemospermia

Abstract

Hemospermia appe ars as a presenting symptom or as one of the concomitant symptoms in various diseases of the seminal tract. Recently, a fairly large number of case reports have become available on this condition. Many of them, however, regard asymptomatic bloody semen as a unique indication, and not a few points of this condition still remain ignored. On the other hand, a variety of opinions have long been discussed as to the cause of hemospermia, but there are still many problems left unsolved. Consequently, no satisfactory report has yet been made on the treatment of this condition. Of late, seminal vesiculography and other urological examinations have indeed made a great improvement, but still we often encounter hemospermia of unknown etiology. It is also experienced that some cases are compelled to undergo the surgical removal of the seminal vesicles and vas deferens owing to prolonged or severe hemospermia. In re cent years the relationship of hemospermia to male infertility and further to allergy of the seminal vesicles has been acquiring a great importance. In this sense, etiological solution of this condition has heen considered as one of the most important problems. Hereupon, in order to investigate the relations between hemospermia and male infertility, we made clinico-statistical observations on the patients with hemospermia who visited Department of Urology, Osaka Medical College. In connection with this observation, experimental studies were made on the effect of various sera, the seminal plasma of patients with seminal vesiculitis or prostatitis upon the motility of sperm. In addition, based on the study of our cases of unknown cause, the presence of seminal vesicle allergy was conjectured as one of the causes of this condition, and various animal experiments concerning the problems were carried out obtaining noticeable results.