PREGNANCIES AFTER INTRACYTOPLASMIC SPERM INJECTION WITH CRYOPRESERVEDTESTICULAR SPERMATOZOA

In 25 patients (14 suffering from obstructive azoospermia, six from no n-obstructive azoospermia, three from asthenoazoospermia and two from absence of ejaculation) spermatozoa were extracted from testicular bio psies, Intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) with fresh testicular s permatozoa was performed in 18 cases; spermatozoa in excess were cryop reserved in pills, No pregnancies were achieved, In the remaining seve n patients, testicular spermatozoa were retrieved and cryopreserved du ring a diagnostic testicular biopsy, After thawing, sperm motility was assessed in 17 cases (68%), and 18 ICSI with cryopreserved testicular spermatozoa were performed, The mean two-pronuclear (2PN) fertilizati on rate was 59%, the mean cleavage rate was 92%, and six clinical preg nancies were achieved, all of them still ongoing (pregnancy rate 33%), A comparison of the results of ICSI carried out with fresh or cryopre served testicular spermatozoa showed that the mean 2PN fertilization r ates per cycle (53 compared with 55%), mean cleavage rates per cycle ( 99 compared with 96%) and embryo quality were not significantly differ ent, In conclusion, cryopreservation of testicular spermatozoa is feas ible, even in patients with non-obstructive azoospermia, and the resul ts of ICSI with frozen-thawed testicular spermatozoa are similar to th ose obtained using fresh testicular spermatozoa, Cryopreservation of t esticular spermatozoa may avoid repetition of testicular biopsies to r etrieve spermatozoa for successive ICSI cycles in patients in whom the only source of motile spermatozoa is the testicle.