RESULTS OF CYTOGENETIC ANALYSIS IN MEN WITH SEVERE SUBFERTILITY PRIORTO INTRACYTOPLASMIC SPERM INJECTION

Intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) is increasingly becoming the t reatment of choice for severe male subfertility. Cytogenetic evaluatio n of men with andrological subfertility reveals an increased incidence of chromosomal abnormalities when compared with the normal population . We performed chromosomal analysis on the male partners of 32 couples referred for andrological subfertility. In two of these men, constitu tional chromosomal translocations were diagnosed prior to ICSI [(45,XY ,t(21;22)(p11;q11) and 46,XY,t(22;Y)(p11;q12)]. Since ICSI bypasses ma ny potential barriers of fertilization, successful pregnancy can be ac hieved despite the presence of severely impaired spermatozoa in a popu lation at high risk for chromosomal aberrations. It is well known that the presence of a chromosomal aberration plays a significant role in partial or complete spermatogenic arrest, ICSI does not seem to increa se the risk of fetal chromosomal abnormalities when a spermatozoon fro m a chromosomally normal male is used. To exclude a higher risk for sp ontaneous abortion and fetal chromosomal abnormalities, we advocate cy togenetic screening of males with severe male subfertility who opt for ICSI.