ABSTRACT
Animal experiments are very important for the development of new assisted reproductive techniques (ART) for use in human and animal reproductive medicine. Most technical aspects of reproductive manipulation of humans and animals are very similar, and many components of successful human ART used nowadays have been derived from animal studies. In this study we examined (1) the use of 'non-contact' laser for assisted hatching, (2) whether spindles in living mouse oocytes could safely be imaged/examined by polarisation microscope (polscope) and (3) the influence of environment (e.g. temperature, in vitro culture, etc.) on spindle detection/visualisation. The data of the study presented here show that (1) laser assisted hatching (AH) is a fast, very accurate and safe procedure without any harmful effect on embryo development and it can support very effectively the implantation of embryos, (2) the use of polscope facilitates the evaluation of oocyte quality and the selection of oocytes with spindle, (3) by monitoring the spindle position during intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI), we can reduce spindle damage and increase the chance of fertilisation. Further studies are underway to test the hypothesised connection between spindle birefringence and developmental capacity of oocytes/embryos.
Subject(s)
Oocytes , Sperm Injections, Intracytoplasmic/methods , Spindle Apparatus , Zona Pellucida , Animals , Female , Humans , Lasers , Male , Mice , Mice, Inbred Strains , Pregnancy , Pregnancy RateABSTRACT
This follow-up study of children born after laser assisted hatching (LAH) with a non-contact laser aims to compile data on karyotypes, deliveries, congenital malformations and growth parameters to evaluate the safety of this new technique. The study design consisted of karyotyping and completion of a standardized questionnaire. Data were analyzed for the first 134 children born after LAH. Indication for LAH were the age (over 35 years) (group I), previously minimum three unsuccessful IVF-ET treatment cycles (group II) and age >35 years with at least three unsuccessful IVF cycles (group III). In our study group of 134 babies we found no increase in the major congenital malformation rate (2.2%) which is comparable with the major congenital malformation rate (3%) among all deliveries at our hospital. No increase in chromosomal aberrations could be observed. Neither could we observe a difference in minor congenital malformations between the LAH treated group and all deliveries at our hospital (10.4% versus 11.1%). On this limited number of children born after LAH there was neither evidence of an increased incidence of chromosomal aberrations nor of congenital malformations.
Subject(s)
Lasers , Reproductive Techniques, Assisted/adverse effects , Adult , Chromosome Aberrations , Congenital Abnormalities/epidemiology , Embryo Transfer , Female , Fertilization in Vitro , Humans , Male , Pregnancy , Sperm Injections, Intracytoplasmic , Twins , Zona PellucidaABSTRACT
At two early diagnosed cases of intact tubal pregnancy the author gave 25 mg methotrexate locally after transvaginal ultrasound guided aspiration of embryonic sac. At the first case the treatment was successful, at the other a laparotomy had to be performed because of intraabdominal bleeding after 36 hours.
