Influence of polyvinylpyrrolidone on the outcome of intracytoplasmic sperm injection.
OBJECTIVE
To assess the effectiveness of a procedure for intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) modified so as not to use polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) and to examine clinical outcome.


METHODS
Seventy-seven cycles of ICSI were performed over a one-year period. PVP was used for sperm immobilization in 39 of these cycles and was eliminated from the other 38 cycles. Difference in fertilization rate, cleavage rate, parthenogenetic activity, clinical pregnancy rate, ongoing pregnancy rate and grading of preembryos between the two groups was compared.


RESULTS
The non-PVP group had a higher fertilization rate (57.63% vs. 84.43%, P < .001) and better preembryo quality (chi 2 = 6.80, P = .009) than the PVP group. There was no significant difference in cleavage rate, parthenogenetic activity, clinical pregnancy rate and ongoing pregnancy rate between the two groups.


CONCLUSIONS
Performing ICSI without PVP may improve the fertilization rate and preembryo grading. However, further study with a larger cohort is necessary to determine whether the modified procedure can increase the pregnancy rate.
Tsai
M Y
MY
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Kaohsiung Chang-Gung Memorial Hospital, Kaohsiung County, Taiwan.
Huang
F J
FJ
Kung
F T
FT
Lin
Y C
YC
Chang
S Y
SY
Wu
J F
JF
Chang
H W
HW
D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D005306:Fertilization; D006801:Humans; D007248:Infertility, Male / Q000628:therapy*; D008297:Male; D011205:Povidone / Q000009:adverse effects*; D011247:Pregnancy; D018873:Pregnancy Rate; D020554:Sperm Injections, Intracytoplasmic; D013081:Sperm Motility / Q000187:drug effects
D011205:Povidone