Successful pregnancy after spermatid injection

Abstract

We present nine cases of spermatid intracytoplasmic injection for the treatment of non-obstructive azoospermia. In eight cases, no elongated spermatids or spermatozoa were found in previous spermiograms or testicular biopsies. In these patients, treatment was performed using ejaculated (n = 6) and testicular (n = 2) retrieved round spermatids (Sa type). In cases where ejaculated round spermatids were used, they were isolated on the day before oocyte retrieval and left in culture for 24 h before intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI). No pregnancy was obtained in either group, although culturing seemed to increase the fertilization rate. In one other case, elongated spermatids were observed in the previous spermiogram and thus a normal ICSI procedure was scheduled. However, on the day of oocyte retrieval, no spermatids could be recovered from fresh sequential ejaculates, and a testicular open biopsy was then performed. Both round and elongated spermatids were found in 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.