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Intracytoplasmic morphologically selected sperm injection (IMSI) does not improve outcome in patients with two successive IVF-ICSI failures

  • Gamete Biology
  • Published:
Journal of Assisted Reproduction and Genetics Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Purpose

Assessment of sperm morphology has been reconsidered since 2001 with the development of motile sperm organelle morphology examination (MSOME). This observation technique that combines high magnification microscopy and the Nomarski interference contrast makes it possible to select spermatozoa with as few vacuoles as possible before microinjection into the oocyte (intracytoplasmic morphologically selected sperm injection, IMSI). More than 10 years after the development of IMSI, the indications of the IMSI technique and its ability to increase pregnancy and/or birthrates (compared with conventional ICSI) are still subject to debate. We aimed to better define the interest of IMSI in the third attempt.

Methods

We assessed the benefit of IMSI by carrying out a retrospective comparative study between IMSI and conventional ICSI during a third ART attempt. Two hundred sixteen couples with two previous ICSI failures were studied between February 2010 and June 2014.

Results

IMSI did not significantly improve the clinical outcomes compared with ICSI, either for implantation (12 vs 10 %), clinical pregnancy (23 vs 21 %), or live birth rates (20 vs 19 %).

Conclusion

This study provides supplementary arguments for not achieving IMSI procedure in the third attempt after two previous ICSI failures.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Service de Médecine de la Reproduction, Hôpital Paule de Viguier, CHU Toulouse, 330 Avenue de Grande Bretagne, 31059, Toulouse, France

    N. Gatimel, J. Parinaud & R. D. Leandri

  2. Université Paul Sabatier Toulouse-III, Groupe de Recherche en Fertilité Humaine (EA 3694, Human Fertility Research Group), 330 Avenue de Grande Bretagne, 31059, Toulouse, France

    N. Gatimel, J. Parinaud & R. D. Leandri

Authors
  1. N. Gatimel
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  2. J. Parinaud
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  3. R. D. Leandri
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to N. Gatimel.

Ethics declarations

All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards. The study was approved by the Comité d’Ethique de la Recherche des Hôpitaux de Toulouse. For this type of study formal consent is not required.

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The authors declare that they have no competing interests..

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Capsule

This study provides supplementary arguments for not achieving IMSI procedure in the third attempt after two previous ICSI failures.

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Gatimel, N., Parinaud, J. & Leandri, R.D. Intracytoplasmic morphologically selected sperm injection (IMSI) does not improve outcome in patients with two successive IVF-ICSI failures. J Assist Reprod Genet 33, 349–355 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10815-015-0645-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10815-015-0645-5

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