High-magnification sperm selection does not decrease the aneuploidy rate in patients who are heterozygous for reciprocal translocations.

PROBLEM

This study sought to evaluate the value of motile sperm organelle morphology examination (MSOME) for selecting euploid spermatozoa in six patients who were heterozygous for a reciprocal translocation.

METHOD OF STUDY

We used sperm fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) to screen for aneuploidy of the chromosomes involved in the translocations and a putative interchromosomal effect (ICE) for chromosomes 18, X and Y. This procedure was performed on (i) whole sperm (i.e. no selection) and on normal spermatozoa selected (ii) at a magnification typically used for intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI), referred to as "ICSI-like", and (iii) with MSOME.

RESULTS

The balanced translocation rates did not differ significantly (p=0.81) when comparing whole sperm (57.2 %) with spermatozoa after ICSI-like selection (56.3 %) or after MSOME (53.7 %). Similarly, the aneuploidy rates for ICEs did not differ significantly (p=0.14) when comparing whole sperm (1.9 %), ICSI-selected spermatozoa (3.4 %) and MSOME-selected spermatozoa (1.0 %).

CONCLUSION

For patients who are heterozygous for reciprocal translocations, MSOME does not improve the selection of euploid spermatozoa.