title: Assisted oocyte activation following ICSI fertilization failure.
abstract: The capacity of intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) to permit almost any type of spermatozoa to fertilize oocytes has made it the most successful treatment for male factor infertility. Despite its high success rates, fertilization failure following ICSI still occurs in 1-3% of couples. Assisted oocyte activation (AOA) is being increasingly applied in human assisted reproduction to restore fertilization and pregnancy rates in couples with a history of ICSI fertilization failure. However, controversy still exists mainly because the artificial activating agents do not mimic precisely the initial physiological processes of mammalian oocyte activation, which has led to safety concerns. This review addresses the mechanism of human oocyte activation and the relatively rare phenomenon of fertilization failure after ICSI. Next, it describes the current diagnostic approaches and focuses on the application, efficiency and safety of AOA in human assisted reproduction.
authors.affiliation: Department for Reproductive Medicine, University Hospital Ghent, De Pintelaan 185 - 1P4, 9000 Ghent, Belgium.
authors.forename: Frauke
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Vanden Meerschaut
authors.affiliation: Department for Reproductive Medicine, University Hospital Ghent, De Pintelaan 185 - 1P4, 9000 Ghent, Belgium.
authors.forename: Dimitra
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Nikiforaki
authors.affiliation: Department for Reproductive Medicine, University Hospital Ghent, De Pintelaan 185 - 1P4, 9000 Ghent, Belgium. Electronic address: bjorn.heindryckx@ugent.be.
authors.forename: Björn
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Heindryckx
authors.affiliation: Department for Reproductive Medicine, University Hospital Ghent, De Pintelaan 185 - 1P4, 9000 Ghent, Belgium.
authors.forename: Petra
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: De Sutter
mesh_terms: D002118:Calcium / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D005307:Fertilization in Vitro / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D007248:Infertility, Male / Q000628:therapy; D008297:Male; D009865:Oocytes / Q000166:cytology* / Q000502:physiology*; D011247:Pregnancy; D055101:Semen Analysis; D020554:Sperm Injections, Intracytoplasmic / Q000009:adverse effects; D013084:Sperm-Ovum Interactions; D017211:Treatment Failure
chemical_list: D002118:Calcium
keywords: ICSI; assisted oocyte activation; diagnosis; failed fertilization; male infertility; safety