Clin Exp Reprod Med.  2015 Jun;42(2):45-50. 10.5653/cerm.2015.42.2.45.

Artificial oocyte activation in intracytoplasmic sperm injection cycles using testicular sperm in human in vitro fertilization

• Kang HJ
• Lee SH
• Park YS
• Lim CK
• Ko DS
• Yang KM
• Park DW

• KMID: 1879363
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.5653/cerm.2015.42.2.45

Abstract

OBJECTIVE
Artificial oocyte activation (AOA) is an effective method to avoid total fertilization failure in human in vitro fertilization-embryo transfer (IVF-ET) cycles. AOA performed using a calcium ionophore can induce calcium oscillation in oocytes and initiate the fertilization process. We evaluated the usefulness of AOA with a calcium ionophore in cases of total fertilization failure in previous cycles and in cases of severe male factor infertility patients with non-motile spermatozoa after pentoxifylline (PF) treatment.
METHODS
The present study describes 29 intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI)-AOA cycles involving male factor infertility at Cheil General Hospital from January 2006 to June 2013. Patients were divided into two groups (control, n=480; AOA, n=29) depending on whether or not AOA using a calcium ionophore (A23187) was performed after testicular sperm extraction-ICSI (TESE-ICSI). The AOA group was further split into subgroups according to sperm motility after PF treatment: i.e., motile sperm-injected (n=12) and non-motile sperm-injected (n=17) groups (total n=29 cycles).
RESULTS
The good embryo rate (52.3% vs. 66.9%), pregnancy rate (20.7% vs. 52.1%), and delivery rate (10.3% vs. 40.8%) were lower in the PF/AOA group than in the control group. When evaluating the effects of restoration of sperm motility after PF treatment on clinical outcomes there was no difference in fertilization rate (66.6% vs. 64.7% in non-motile and motile sperm, respectively), pregnancy rate (17.6% vs. 33.3%), or delivery rate (5.9% vs. 16.7%) between the two groups.
CONCLUSION
We suggest that oocyte activation is a useful method to ensure fertilization in TESE-ICSI cycles regardless of restoration of sperm motility after PF treatment. AOA may be useful in selected patients who have a low fertilization rate or total fertilization failure.

Keyword

Artificial oocyte activation; Calcium ionophore; Intracytoplasmic sperm injection; Pentoxifylline; Testicular sperm extraction

MeSH Terms

Calcium
Calcium Signaling
Embryonic Structures
Fertilization
Fertilization in Vitro*
Hospitals, General
Humans
Infertility
Male
Oocytes*
Pentoxifylline
Pregnancy Rate
Sperm Injections, Intracytoplasmic*
Sperm Motility
Spermatozoa*
Calcium
Pentoxifylline