Evaluation of a disposable plastic Neubauer counting chamber for semen analysis  Jackson Kirkman-Brown, Ph.D., Lars Björndahl, M.D., Ph.D.  Fertility and Sterility  Volume 91, Issue 2, Pages 627-631 (February 2009) DOI: 10.1016/j.fertnstert.2007.11.076 Copyright © 2009 American Society for Reproductive Medicine Terms and Conditions

Figure 1 Individual results from 18 consecutive samples in glass and plastic chambers, respectively (series 1). Left: pairwise scatter diagram; right: Bland-Altman plot showing systematic error. Fertility and Sterility 2009 91, 627-631DOI: (10.1016/j.fertnstert.2007.11.076) Copyright © 2009 American Society for Reproductive Medicine Terms and Conditions

Figure 2 Results from multiple assessments of different sperm dilutions. In series 2 (n = 7) and series 3 (n = 5) significantly lower concentrations (a: P<.05) were obtained with the plastic chambers. In series 4 (n = 5) a microscope with high-quality optics was used (Olympus BX50), and efforts were made to trace sperm that could be hidden because of optical phenomena (b: P>.05). In this last series no difference was observed between the two types of chambers. Fertility and Sterility 2009 91, 627-631DOI: (10.1016/j.fertnstert.2007.11.076) Copyright © 2009 American Society for Reproductive Medicine Terms and Conditions

Figure 3 (A): Field from standard glass counting chamber (improved Neubauer pattern). Photomicrograph from Nikon Eclipse E600 microscope (objective: Plan Fluor ×10/0.25, Ph1 DL ∞/0.17 WD 16; intermediate magnification (tube factor): ×2) was used for photomicrography (Sony SSC-DC58AP color video camera; image capture with Picsara 8.81 rev. 2). (B, C): Field from plastic disposable counting chamber (improved Neubauer pattern) at different levels of focal depth. Arrow points at a position where a sperm head is hidden on a line in the chamber and therefore difficult to locate and identify. Same equipment for photography as for (A). Fertility and Sterility 2009 91, 627-631DOI: (10.1016/j.fertnstert.2007.11.076) Copyright © 2009 American Society for Reproductive Medicine Terms and Conditions