INTRACYTOPLASMIC SPERM INJECTION DOES NOT REQUIRE SPECIAL TREATMENT OF THE SPERMATOZOA

In order to assess whether specific treatment of spermatozoa is requir ed prior to intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI), three methods of sperm preparation were compared in this study. These three methods wer e (A) incubation of spermatozoa with pentoxifylline (PTX) and 2-deoxya denosine (DOA), (B) electroporation followed by incubation in medium w ith PTX, and (C) no further treatment,vith the Percoll gradient. Contr olled comparisons were carried out between method A and method B in 21 patients, and between method A and method C in 32 patients. There was no difference in the rates of fertilization and embryo cleavage when ICSI was done with spermatozoa treated by procedures A, B or C. Furthe rmore, the sperm selection procedure prior to ICSI was done in two dif ferent media: T6 medium containing 1.78 mM CaCl2.2H(2)O and a final wa shing step after the Percoll gradient in T6 medium containing 5.0 mM C aCl2.2H(2)O, and Earle's medium containing 1.78 mM CaCl2.2H(2)O. The r esults of ICSI on sibling oocytes from 12 patients revealed no differe nce in the fertilization and embryo cleavage rates between the two dif ferent media used during the sperm selection procedures. In conclusion , it appears that high fertilization and pregnancy rates can be obtain ed in couples with severe male-factor infertility by ICSI and that no special treatment of the spermatozoa prior to ICSI is required.