Results of cytogenetic analysis in men with severe subfertility prior to intracytoplasmic sperm injection

Intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) is increasingly becoming the treatment of choice for severe male subfertility. Cytogenetic evaluation of men with andrological subfertility reveals an increased incidence of chromosomal abnormalities when compared with the normal population. We performed chromosomal analysis on the male partners of 32 couples referred for andrological subfertility. In two of these men, constitutional chromosomal translocations were diagnosed prior to ICSI [(45,XY,t(21;22)(p11;q11) and 46,XY,t(22;Y)(p11;q12)]. Since ICSI bypasses many potential barriers of fertilization, successful pregnancy can be achieved despite the presence of severely impaired spermatozoa in a population at high risk for chromosomal aberrations. It is well known that the presence of a chromosomal aberration plays a significant role in partial or complete spermatogenic arrest, ICSI does not seem to increase the risk of fetal chromosomal abnormalities when a spermatozoon from a chromosomally normal male is used. To exclude a higher risk for spontaneous abortion and fetal chromosomal abnormalities, we advocate cytogenetic screening of males with severe male subfertility who opt for ICSI.