SUCCESSFUL PREGNANCY AFTER SPERMATID INJECTION

We present nine cases of spermatid intracytoplasmic injection for the treatment of non-obstructive azoospermia, In eight cases, no elongated spermatids or spermatozoa mere found in previous spermiograms or test icular biopsies, In these patients, treatment was performed using ejac ulated (n = 6) and testicular(n = 2) retrieved round spermatids (Sa ty pe). In cases where ejaculated round spermatids were used, they mere i solated on the day before oocyte retrieval and left in culture for 24 h before intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI), No pregnancy was obt ained in either group, although culturing seemed to increase the ferti lization rate. In one other case, elongated spermatids were observed i n the previous spermiogram and thus a normal ICSI procedure was schedu led. However, on the day of oocyte retrieval, no spermatids could be r ecovered from fresh sequential ejaculates, and a testicular open biops y was then performed. Both round and elongated spermatids were found i n the testicular tissue, but only the more mature germinal cells (Sb2) were injected. From this case, a normal pregnancy was obtained which resulted in the birth by Caesarean section at 37 weeks of gestation of a normal healthy baby girl, weighing 2700 g.