Related Experiment Video
Updated: Sep 30, 2026
Human Blastocyst Biopsy and Vitrification
Published on: July 26, 2019
Laser-assisted removal of necrotic blastomeres from cryopreserved embryos that were partially damaged
Laura Rienzi1, Zsolt Peter Nagy, Filippo Ubaldi
1Centre for Reproductive Medicine, European Hospital, Rome, Italy. laura@libero.it
Objective:
To examine whether the developmental potential of embryos that were partially damaged after freezing and thawing can be improved by removal of necrotic blastomeres before embryo transfer.
Design:
Prospective pilot study and observational clinical series.
Setting:
Private hospital.
Patient(S):
Two hundred thirty-five infertile couples undergoing frozen embryo transfer.
Intervention(S):
Removal of necrotic blastomeres from frozen-thawed human embryos.
Main Outcome Measure(S):
Pregnancy and implantation rates.
Result(S):
Removal of necrotic blastomeres from partially damaged frozen-thawed embryos before transfer increased rates of pregnancy (45.7% vs. 17.1%), ongoing pregnancy (40.0% vs. 11.4%) and ongoing implantation (16.2% vs. 4.3%) compared with the control group, in which necrotic blastomeres were not removed. A similarly high implantation rate (16.7%) was seen a subsequent clinical series in which necrotic blastomeres were removed from all partially damaged embryos.
Conclusion(S):
The viability of partially damaged frozen-thawed embryos can be improved by removal of necrotic blastomeres before embryo transfer.
