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Updated: Jun 9, 2026
Human Egg Maturity Assessment and Its Clinical Application
Published on: August 19, 2019
The relationship between meiotic spindle imaging and outcome of intracytoplasmic sperm injection: a retrospective
Cem Korkmaz1, Ozgur Cinar, Mesut Akyol
1Gulhane Military Medical Faculty, IVF Centre, Etlik, 06010, Ankara, Turkey. cem_korkmaz_tr@yahoo.com
Abstract:
Meiotic spindle analysis with a non-invasive technique, the PolScope, is used to protect the meiotic spindle from damage during microinjection. To evaluate the predictive feature of PolScope, we have designed a retrospective study to analyse the correlation between the meiotic spindle visualisation with regard to spindle location and outcomes of assisted reproductive technologies (ART), including patient age, previous cycles, the number of the collected oocytes, fertilisation rates (FR), pronuclear scoring (PNS) and embryo scoring of the days from two to five. All of the data belonging to 1496 oocytes from 190 patients were statistically analysed. We found that the oocytes having PolScope visualised spindle have higher FR, and also observed that when the spindle located at 0°-30° according to the first polar body, gave the highest FR. PNS gave higher scores in the spindle visualised group, but spindle angle did not affect PNS outcomes. Although a correlation was found between spindle visualisation and developed embryo qualities, particularly at day 2 and 3, spindle angles did not affect embryo quality. We conclude that PolScope microscopy has an efficiency to estimate FR, and cleavage stage embryo development.
Insights
PolScope microscopy effectively predicts fertilization rates and embryo development by visualizing the meiotic spindle. Optimal spindle location (0°-30°) further enhances fertilization outcomes in assisted reproductive technologies.
Area of Science:
- Reproductive biology
- Assisted reproductive technologies (ART)
- Cell biology
Background:
- Meiotic spindle assessment is crucial for oocyte quality evaluation.
- Traditional methods risk spindle damage during manipulation.
- The PolScope offers a non-invasive visualization technique.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the predictive value of PolScope for assisted reproductive technologies (ART) outcomes.
- To analyze the correlation between meiotic spindle visualization, location, and ART success.
- To assess the impact of spindle visualization on fertilization and embryo development.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective analysis of 1496 oocytes from 190 patients.
- Utilized PolScope for non-invasive meiotic spindle visualization.
- Correlated spindle visualization and location with fertilization rates (FR), pronuclear scoring (PNS), and embryo scoring.
Main Results:
- Oocytes with visualized spindles showed higher fertilization rates (FR).
- Spindle location at 0°-30° relative to the first polar body yielded the highest FR.
- Spindle visualization correlated with better embryo quality at days 2 and 3, but spindle angle did not significantly impact embryo quality or PNS.
Conclusions:
- PolScope microscopy is an efficient tool for predicting fertilization rates (FR).
- Spindle visualization aids in estimating cleavage stage embryo development.
- Optimal spindle positioning is associated with improved fertilization outcomes in ART.
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