title: Cytogenetic analysis of human preimplantation embryos following developmental arrest in vitro.
abstract: The relationship between chromosomal abnormalities in the human preimplantation embryo and developmental arrest in vitro was investigated. Cytogenetic analysis of 171 embryos that had arrested between the pronucleate and the 8-cell stages demonstrated that the overall incidence of chromosomal abnormality among these embryos was 63.4%. Of the embryos that arrested at the pronucleate stage (n = 48), 47.9% were chromosomally abnormal, compared with 59.5% of those that arrested between the 2- and 4-cell stages (n = 50), and 82.8% of those arrested between the 5- and 8-cell stage (n = 73). The rate of abnormality in embryos with poor morphology (irregular shaped blastomeres and considerable extracellular fragmentation) was significantly higher (86.8%; n = 33) than those with good morphology (60%; n = 51; P<0.005). These results suggest that there is an association between chromosomal abnormality, developmental arrest in vitro, and poor morphology.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, King's College Hospital, London, UK.
authors.forename: P A
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Almeida
authors.forename: V N
authors.initials: VN
authors.lastname: Bolton
mesh_terms: D001757:Blastomeres / Q000166:cytology; D002869:Chromosome Aberrations; D004622:Embryo, Mammalian / Q000166:cytology*; D047108:Embryonic Development; D005314:Embryonic and Fetal Development / Q000235:genetics*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007621:Karyotyping; D011247:Pregnancy