THE PREDICTIVE VALUE OF UTERINE ARTERY BLOOD-FLOW MEASUREMENTS FOR UTERINE RECEPTIVITY IN AN INTRACYTOPLASMIC SPERM INJECTION PROGRAM

Objective: To assess whether uterine artery blood flow impedance, meas ured as the pulsatility index on the day of ET in patients undergoing IVF-ET with microinjection, can predict the likelihood of pregnancy. D esign: Prospective clinical study. Setting: A tertiary referral center for assisted reproduction. Patient(s): Seventy patients undergoing in tracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) for andrologic indications. Inte rvention(s): Transvaginal color Doppler examination performed on the d ay of ET. Main Outcome Measure(s): Mean (+/-SD) pulsatility index valu e of the left and right uterine arteries, serum E-2 levels, implantati on rates, and ongoing pregnancy rates (PRs). Result(s): The patients w ere divided into pregnant and nonpregnant groups and were separated ac cording to whether the pulsatility index was low (1.00-1.99), medium ( 2.00-2.99), or high (greater than or equal to 3.00). The pulsatility i ndex values did not change statistically in the pregnant and nonpregna nt groups. The implantation rates were 19.5%, 15.4%, and 25% for the l ow-, medium-, and high-pulsatility index groups, respectively. The ong oing PRs for the same groups were 35.3%, 26.7%, and 37.5%, respectivel y. Conclusion(s): The study suggests that blood flow, measured as the pulsatility index on the day of ET, cannot predict the likelihood of p regnancy in stimulated cycles of ICSI. (C) 1997 by American Society fo r Reproductive Medicine.