A simple and reliable method for meiotic studies on testicular samples used for intracytoplasmic sperm injection

Objective: To develop a reliable and simple method allowing meiotic studies to be performed on testicular samples used for ICSI. Design: Evaluation of meiotic abnormalities in patients with severe spermat ogenic impairment. Setting: Centre de Medecine de la Reproduction, Marseille. Patient(s): Two azoospermic men undergoing testicular biopsy for ICSI and o ne control individual with normal testicular histology. Intervention(s): The immature germ cells from the patients came from testic ular biopsy used for ICSI, after dispersal into a thin cell suspension. Cel ls were cytocentrifuged to obtain well-spread spermatocytes and then immuno cytochemical techniques were performed. We used rabbit polyclonal antibodie s against the specific meiotic proteins Cor1 and Syn1 and a human CREST ant i-kinetochore antibody. Main Outcome Measure(s): Synapsis abnormalities in patients with severe spe rmatogenesis impairment. Result(s): Pachytene spermatocytes are easily analyzed with this technique, without damage of the axial core and synaptonemal complex. The loss of ger m cells is limited. Conclusion(s): The cytocentrifugation method is the most suitable technique for meiotic studies in patients with severe spermatogenic failure, because it can be used on the testicular cell suspension remaining after ICSI with testicular spermatozoa. (Fertil Steril(R) 2000;74:916-9. (C) 2000 by Ameri can Society for Reproductive Medicine.)