What is ICSI?
ICSI (intracytoplasmic sperm injection) is an in vitro fertility procedure where the egg and the sperm are fertilized in the laboratory but instead of using the whole sperm we inject only a single sperm inside the oocyte.
Who is suitable for ICSI?
This procedure is most commonly used to overcome male fertility problems(poor sperm quality)and in cases where the woman produce very low number of eggs (2-3) and we want the maximum of fertilization. ICSI is also used in cases where we had poor fertilization results with classic IVF.
ICSI has revolutionized the treatment of men with azoospermia (either because of blockage or other reasons). If we can retrieve sperm with the methods PESA MESA TESA then we can fertilize it with the woman’s eggs using the ICSI technique.
How its performed?
The initial procedure is the same like standard IVF. The woman receives hormonal therapy to stimulate the ovaries and then we collect the eggs. The difference is the fertilization technique we use in the laboratory. In ICSI the procedure is done under a microscope using multiple micromanipulation devices. A holding pipette stabilizes the mature oocyte with gentle suction applied by a microinjector. From the opposite side a thin hollow glass micropipette is used to collect a single sperm,having immobilized it by cutting its tail with the point of the micropipette. The oocyte is pierced through the oolemma and into the inner part (cytoplasm).The sperm is then released into the oocyte. After the procedure the oocyte will be placed into cell culture and checked on the following day for signs of fertilization.
