Patients with absolutely immotile spermatozoa and intracytoplasmic sperm injection

The microinjection of completely immotile spermatozoa may impair the outcome of intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI). Eleven couples underwent an initial ICSI cycle with 100% immotile freshly ejaculated spermatozoa. Two-pronuclear fertilization ensued in 18 of 145 (12.4%) successfully injected oocytes. None of these cycles resulted in a pregnancy. Nine couples underwent ICSI in subsequent cycles (n = 16). Ejaculated spermatozoa were injected in 15 cycles and testicular spermatozoa in one cycle. In 10 of the 15 cycles, motile spermatozoa were available at the time of injection. Motile testicular spermatozoa could also be injected. In the subsequent cycles, 91 of 176 (51.7%) successfully injected oocytes fertilized normally and four patients became pregnant. In the subsequent cycles where again immotile spermatozoa had to be injected no pregnancies occurred. In four subsequent cycles embryo cryopreservation was carried out. After replacement of two frozen-thawed embryos one additional pregnancy was obtained. In all, five healthy infants were born. It has been ascertained that motile spermatozoa can be detected either in repeated ejaculates or after testicular biopsy. The causes of total asthenozoospermia are variable and the problem is a sporadic rather than a permanent condition.