Report on the activities of the ESHRE Task Force on intracytoplasmic sperm injection. European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology

Abstract

The application of intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) is rapidly becoming more popular around the world. The European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology (ESHRE) Task Force is aiming to collect annually the clinical results and the pregnancy outcomes of ICSI using ejaculated, epididymal and testicular spermatozoa to enable the provision of reliable information on the efficacy and safety of this novel technique. This review summarizes the activities of the ESHRE Task Force on ICSI during the last 2 years. The number of centres performing ICSI as well as the number of ICSI cycles increased significantly from 1993 to 1994. The incidence of oocytes damaged by the procedure was low (7.2-10.6%), whereas the fertilization rate achieved with ejaculated, epididymal and testicular spermatozoa was high (51.1-60.8%), even with extremely impaired semen quality. Thus, 89-93% of patients had an embryo transfer and 21-31% of them achieved a viable pregnancy, irrespective of the origin of the spermatozoon. ICSI results were similar in 1993 and 1994. The follow-up of children born after ICSI revealed no increase in the incidence of major congenital malformations or chromosomal aberrations. These findings are quite reassuring, although the numbers are still too few. Therefore, efforts need to be continued to enhance the database and thus provide a reliable assessment of this new treatment modality.