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. 2016 Nov;33(11):1449-1457.
doi: 10.1007/s10815-016-0813-2. Epub 2016 Oct 1.

Blastomere biopsy for PGD delays embryo compaction and blastulation: a time-lapse microscopic analysis

Liron Bar-El  1 , Yael Kalma  1 , Mira Malcov  1 , Tamar Schwartz  1 , Shaul Raviv  1 , Tania Cohen  1 , Hadar Amir  1 , Yoni Cohen  1 , Adi Reches  1 , Ami Amit  1 , Dalit Ben-Yosef  2   3
Affiliations

Blastomere biopsy for PGD delays embryo compaction and blastulation: a time-lapse microscopic analysis

Liron Bar-El et al. J Assist Reprod Genet. 2016 Nov.

Abstract

Purpose: The purpose of the study was to explore the effect of blastomere biopsy for preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) on the embryos' dynamics, further cleavage, development, and implantation.

Methods: The study group included 366 embryos from all PGD treatments (September 2012 to June 2014) cultured in the EmbryoScope™ time-lapse monitoring system. The control group included all intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) embryos cultured in EmbryoScope™ until day 5 during the same time period (385 embryos). Time points of key embryonic events were analyzed with an EmbryoViewer™.

Results: Most (88 %) of the embryos were biopsied at ≥8 cells. These results summarize the further dynamic development of the largest cohort of biopsied embryos and demonstrate that blastomere biopsy of cleavage-stage embryos significantly delayed compaction and blastulation compared to the control non-biopsied embryos. This delay in preimplanation developmental events also affected postimplantation development as observed when the dynamics of non-implanted embryos (known implantation data (KID) negative) were compared to those of implanted embryos (KID positive).

Conclusion: Analysis of morphokinetic parameters enabled us to explore how blastomere biopsy interferes with the dynamic sequence of developmental events. Our results show that biopsy delays the compaction and the blastulation of the embryos, leading to a decrease in implantation.

Keywords: Blastomere biopsy; Embryo development; Morphokinetics; PGD; Time-lapse microscopy.

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Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Embryonic stage at the time of biopsy. Percentage of embryos that were biopsied at each embryonic stage. The blastomere biopsy was performed 67–73 h after insemination. CM compact morula
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
The effect of blastomere biopsy on the timing of embryonic events. Comparison between the developmental rates of embryos following a blastomere biopsy (preimplantation genetic diagnosis [PGD] group, red line) and the control group (blue line). Blastomere biopsies were performed on embryos at all cell stages. The notch within the box denotes the median, and the box spans the interquartile range (25–75th percentiles). Start of compaction (t M); start of blastulation (t SB). *P < 0.001, Wilcoxon sum ranked test
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
The effect of blastomere biopsies of eight-cell embryos on the timing of subsequent embryonic events. Comparison between the developmental rates following blastomere biopsies of eight-cell embryos (preimplantation genetic diagnosis [PGD], red line) and a matched control group (blue line). The notch within the box denotes the median, and the box spans the interquartile range (25–75th percentiles). Start of compaction (t M); start of blastulation (t SB). *P < 0.05, Wilcoxon sum ranked test; **P < 0.001
Fig. 4
Fig. 4
Comparison of postbiopsy developmental events between implanted and non-implanted embryos. Analysis of the implanted embryos (PGD-KID+, 22 embryos, red line) and the non-implanted embryos (PGD-KID−, 98 embryos, blue line). The notch within the box denotes the median, and the box spans the interquartile range (25–75th percentiles). Start of compaction (t M); start of blastulation (t SB). *P = 0.01, Wilcoxon sum ranked test; **P < 0.001
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