Objective: To assess the effectiveness of a procedure for intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) modified so as not to use polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) and to examine clinical outcome.
Study design: Seventy-seven cycles of ICSI were performed over a one-year period. PVP was used for sperm immobilization in 39 of these cycles and was eliminated from the other 38 cycles. Difference in fertilization rate, cleavage rate, parthenogenetic activity, clinical pregnancy rate, ongoing pregnancy rate and grading of preembryos between the two groups was compared.
Results: The non-PVP group had a higher fertilization rate (57.63% vs. 84.43%, P < .001) and better preembryo quality (chi 2 = 6.80, P = .009) than the PVP group. There was no significant difference in cleavage rate, parthenogenetic activity, clinical pregnancy rate and ongoing pregnancy rate between the two groups.
Conclusion: Performing ICSI without PVP may improve the fertilization rate and preembryo grading. However, further study with a larger cohort is necessary to determine whether the modified procedure can increase the pregnancy rate.