Efficacy and Fertilizing Ability of Frozen-thawed Testicular Spermatozoa and Spermatozoa Extracted from the Seminiferous Tubule with Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection (ICSI).

Park,  Yong Seog; Jun,  Jin Hyun; Lee,  Ho Joon; Kang,  Inn Soo; Kim,  Jong Hyun; Lee,  You Sik; Seo,  Ju Tae

Original Article

Korean Journal of Fertility and Sterility 1998;25(2):171-177.
Published online January 1, 2001.

Efficacy and Fertilizing Ability of Frozen-thawed Testicular Spermatozoa and Spermatozoa Extracted from the Seminiferous Tubule with Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection (ICSI).

Yong Seog Park, Jin Hyun Jun, Ho Joon Lee, Inn Soo Kang, Jong Hyun Kim, You Sik Lee, Ju Tae Seo

Abstract

The combination of testicular sperm extraction (TESE) with ICSI can achieve normal fertilization and pregnancy rate and is affective method in obstructive and non-obstructive azoospermic patients. But, when pregnancy was not occurred, repeated testicular biopsies are not evitable. Therefore, in this study, we observed the survival rate of testicular spermatozoa and spermatozoa extracted from the seminiferous tubules after cryopreserved-thawed used for next IVF cycle with ICSI. In a total of 23 cases, obstructive azoospermia was 17 cases and non-obstructive azoospermia was 6 cases. In obstructive azoospermia, after thawing, motile spermatozoa was observed in 13 cases (76.5%). The fertilization rate with 2PN was 67.6% and 5 pregnancies (29.4%) were achieved. In non-obstructive azoospermia, motile spermatozoa was observed in 2 case (33.3%) after thawing. The fertilization rates with 2PN was 53.7% and 3 pregnancies (50.0%) were achieved. A comparison of the results of motile spermatozoa after thawed testicular spermatozoa find spermatozoa extracted from the thawed seminiferous tubule section were 3 cases (60.0%) and 12 cases (86.6%), respectively, The fertilization and pregnancy rates of thawed testicular spermatozoa and spermatozoa extracted from the thawed seminiferous tubule section were 69.4% and 20.0%, 62.5% and 38.8%, respectively. Conclusively, thawed testicular spermatozoa and spermatozoa extracted from the thawed seminiferous tubule section can achieve normal fertilization and pregnancy and cryopreservation of testicular spermatozoa and seminiferous tubule may avoid repetition of testicular biopsies in azoospermic patients in whom the only source of spermatozoa is the testis.