Automation is the key to standardized semen analysis using the automated SQA-V sperm quality analyzer.

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the performance of the automated semen quality analyzer system for assessing sperm quality. DESIGN Double-blind prospective study. SETTING Tertiary care hospital. PATIENT(S) Fifty healthy men donated semen samples. INTERVENTION(S) None. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S) Precision, accuracy and agreement between automated and manual semen analysis methods was assessed for sperm concentration, motility, morphology, and known concentrations of latex bead quality control media. RESULT(S) A good agreement was seen between the results of sperm concentration reported by the SQA-V automated analyzer (Spermalite/SQA-V; Medical Electronic Systems Ltd, Caesarea Industrial Park, Israel) and those obtained manually. A similar linearity was seen when the SQA-V results were compared with the manual data and also when the manual results of individual operators were compared with each other. The automated assessment of morphology showed high sensitivity (89.9%) for identifying percent normal morphology, and the precision of the SQA-V was considerably higher when compared with the manual method. The interoperator variability for manual assessment was significant. The automated analysis was quick compared with the manual method. CONCLUSION(S) The SQA-V can be used interchangeably with manual semen analysis methods for examining sperm concentration and motility. The automated SQA-V analyzer is more precise and shows the ability to accurately classify normal versus abnormal sperm morphology.