Are zona pellucida laser drilling and polar body biopsy safe for in vitro matured oocytes?
BACKGROUND
Preconception diagnosis requires first polar body biopsy. When the hole in the zona pellucida is made with a laser beam, heat propagation could, like the biopsy itself, be deleterious. Our aim was to evaluate the effect of this technique on human in vitro matured oocyte and embryo development.


METHODS
One hunded fifty five retrieved immature oocytes from 75 women, matured in vitro, were distributed in 3 groups: 50 oocytes in a control group, without laser drilling and first polar body biopsy, 52 oocytes in a group with only laser drilling, and 53 oocytes in a group with both laser drilling and first polar body biopsy. Safety was evaluated using four criteria: [1] oocyte lysis rate, [2] oocyte activation rate, [3] oocyte development after calcium ionophore treatment, [4] and embryo chromosome breakage incidence after Tarkowski preparation.


RESULTS
No difference in the four criteria was observed between the 3 oocyte groups.


CONCLUSIONS
We did not find evidence of deleterious effect of laser drilling and first polar body biopsy on in vitro matured oocytes, according to our criteria.
Hammoud
Ibrahim
I
Department of Reproductive Biology and Cytogenetics and Gynaecology, CHI Poissy St Germain, France.
Molina-Gomes
Denise
D
Albert
Martine
M
Bergere
Marianne
M
Bailly
Marc
M
Wainer
Robert
R
Selva
Jacqueline
J
Vialard
Francois
F
D001706:Biopsy / Q000379:methods; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007834:Lasers; D009865:Oocytes / Q000502:physiology*; D019836:Preimplantation Diagnosis / Q000379:methods*; D015044:Zona Pellucida / Q000502:physiology*