Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Foreword
- Preface
- Acknowledgements
- Glossary
- List of abbreviations
- 1 Micromanipulation in human assisted conception: an overview
- 2 Media and other consumables for micromanipulation
- 3 Narishige micromanipulation workstation systems
- 4 Eppendorf micromanipulation workstation systems
- 5 Research Instruments micromanipulation workstation systems
- 6 Instrument selection
- 7 Preparation of gametes for micromanipulation
- 8 Intracytoplasmic sperm injection
- 9 Zona manipulation and embryo biopsy
- 10 Microtool manufacture
- 11 Transgenesis and the generation of knock-out mice
- 12 New and advanced techniques
- Appendix: Suppliers and manufacturers of equipment and consumables
- References
- Index
8 - Intracytoplasmic sperm injection
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 10 September 2009
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Foreword
- Preface
- Acknowledgements
- Glossary
- List of abbreviations
- 1 Micromanipulation in human assisted conception: an overview
- 2 Media and other consumables for micromanipulation
- 3 Narishige micromanipulation workstation systems
- 4 Eppendorf micromanipulation workstation systems
- 5 Research Instruments micromanipulation workstation systems
- 6 Instrument selection
- 7 Preparation of gametes for micromanipulation
- 8 Intracytoplasmic sperm injection
- 9 Zona manipulation and embryo biopsy
- 10 Microtool manufacture
- 11 Transgenesis and the generation of knock-out mice
- 12 New and advanced techniques
- Appendix: Suppliers and manufacturers of equipment and consumables
- References
- Index
Summary
The successful introduction of ICSI for the alleviation of male-factor infertility must surely be one of the most significant advances in reproductive medicine since the birth of Louise Brown back in 1978 (Palermo et al., 1992). Patients presenting with semen containing either too few sperm and/or sperm with poor progressive motility are obviously good candidates for ICSI. Also, it is well known that sperm that have a normal shape, as determined by morphological criteria, are more likely to bind to and therefore fertilize eggs; therefore, ICSI may be warranted where there is a very low percentage of morphologically normal sperm within the semen. However, routine IVF can also fail despite apparently excellent semen parameters, presumably for biochemical reasons. Again, ICSI offers a suitable remedy should this prove to be a consistent problem that cannot be attributed to poor egg quality alone. Nevertheless, ICSI must still mimic the latter stages of fertilization in vivo if it is to prove successful.
Essentially, as with gamete fusion, both cell membranes (i.e. the oolemma of the egg and the plasmalemma of the sperm) should be temporarily breached, so it is necessary to ensure that the oolemma has been penetrated, as is evident by a sudden free flow of ooplasm, and that the plasmalemma has been ruptured, as is evident by permanent immobility of the sperm tail. Considering these requirements, ICSI is technically demanding and there is substantial potential for damage to the egg, which can cause it to degenerate.
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- Chapter
- Information
- Micromanipulation in Assisted Conception , pp. 119 - 152Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2003