title: The Timing of Embryo Transfer Catheter Removal: Should It be Delayed or Done Immediately? A Prospective Randomized Trial.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Data on the timing of catheter removal technique following embryo transfer (ET) are quite limited. We aimed to compare the reproductive outcomes of intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI)/ET cycles in which the transfer catheter was removed immediately with those in which the catheter was removed after a delay period and hereby to evaluate the impact that the time interval before removal of the catheter following embryo deposit may have on the fertility outcomes.
  
  
  METHODS
  A prospective randomized study was designed. ICSI/ET patients <40 years were randomly assigned to either of the group from which catheter was withdrawn immediately within the first 5 s (Group A) or after a 30 s delay (Group B) following ET.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Groups A and B consisted of 147 and 148 patients, respectively. Patient demographics and stimulation characteristics were comparable between the groups. Pregnancy rate was 32.2% (95 of 295) and clinical pregnancy rate was 28.8% (85 of 295), whereas ongoing pregnancy was 24.4% (72 of 295) and implantation rate was 29.6% (100 of 338). The comparison of reproductive outcomes revealed no significant differences in pregnancy (p = 0.933), clinical pregnancy (p = 0.673), ongoing pregnancy (p = 0.590), multiple pregnancy (p = 0.801), and implantation rates (p = 0.979) between the groups.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  No significant difference was observed in the reproductive outcomes between the groups; thus, there appears no requirement to delay the withdrawal of the catheter to improve the outcomes in ICSI cycles.
authors.affiliation: Istanbul Medeniyet University, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Istanbul, Turkey.
authors.forename: Belgin
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Devranoğlu
authors.forename: Özkan
authors.initials: Ö
authors.lastname: Özdamar
authors.forename: Yiğit
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Çakıroğlu
authors.forename: Mehmet
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Küçükbaş
authors.forename: Meryem K
authors.initials: MK
authors.lastname: Eken
authors.forename: Emek
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Doğer
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002404:Catheterization / Q000379:methods*; D020878:Device Removal / Q000379:methods*; D010064:Embryo Implantation; D004624:Embryo Transfer / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D011247:Pregnancy; D018873:Pregnancy Rate; D011446:Prospective Studies; D020554:Sperm Injections, Intracytoplasmic / Q000379:methods*; D013997:Time Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome
keywords: Catheter removal; Embryo transfer; Reproductive outcomes