PREGNANCY AFTER INTRACYTOPLASMIC INJECTION OF IMMOTILE SPERM - A CASE-REPORT

BACKGROUND: With the advent of intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) , fertilization and pregnancy have been reported in complete asthenozo ospermia. The major problem with the use of immotile sperm for ICSI ha s been differentiating between live and dead sperm. We successfully se lected live sperms with the hypoosmotic swelling test, and a twin preg nancy resulted after intracytoplasmic injection of completely immotile sperm. CASE: A 32-year-old woman and her 36-year-old husband had had primary infertility for four years. Evaluation of the couple showed co mplete asthenozoospermia of the husband. Ovulation in the wife was suc cessfully stimulated with clomiphene citrate, follicle-stimulating hor mone and human menopausal gonadotropin. We selected the viable sperm w ith the hypoosmotic swelling test. ICSI was then performed. After assi sted hatching, we transferred four embryos on the third day after oocy te retrieval. Intrauterine twin pregnancy was confirmed by ultrasonogr aphy four weeks Inter. The healthy infants, free of anomalies, were bo rn on the 36th gestational week. CONCLUSION: The hypoosmotic swelling test is a simple method of selecting immotile and viable sperm for use in ICSI.