Routine laser assisted hatching results in significantly increased clincal pregnancies.
OBJECTIVE
To elucidate the appropriateness of current indications for assisted hatching (AH) in cleavage stage human embryos and to confirm our preliminary findings that only young patients (about 67%) benefit from AH.


METHODS
Prior to transfer, 2 of 3 embryos selected for ET were subjected to laser assisted hatching (LAH). Control group consisted of patients matched by similar characteristics and protocol except LAH was not performed.


RESULTS
The clinical pregnancy rate in women < or = 36 years was 64.9% (24/37) for embryos subjected to LAH but was significantly lower (p = 0.029) in the control (33.3%; 10/30). The implantation rate in women < or = 36 years in the test group was 38.1% (40/105) that was significantly higher than that of the control group (17.5%, 14/80; p = 0.0039).


CONCLUSIONS
LAH is beneficial for women < or = 36 years but not for women > or = 37 years, for embryos with thin zonae (< or = 16 micron) but not with thick zonae (> or = 17 micron), and for those with repeated failures (37-50%).
Ali
J
J
Assisted Conception Unit, Women's Hospital, Hamad Medical Corporation, Doha, Qatar. jaffarali@excite.com
Rahbar
S
S
Burjaq
H
H
Sultan
A M
AM
Al Flamerzi
M
M
Shahata
M A M
MA
D000328:Adult; D036703:Blastula / Q000528:radiation effects; D004624:Embryo Transfer; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007834:Lasers; D008297:Male; D009865:Oocytes / Q000528:radiation effects*; D011247:Pregnancy; D011256:Pregnancy Outcome; D020554:Sperm Injections, Intracytoplasmic; D013094:Spermatozoa / Q000502:physiology*