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Failure of complete hatching of ICSI-derived human blastocyst by cell herniation via small slit and insufficient expansion despite ongoing cell proliferation

  • Assisted Reproduction Technologies
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Abstract

Purpose

To assess the effect of intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) on embryo hatching and visualise the effects of zona thinning (ZT) on the embryo using time-lapse monitoring.

Methods

In vitro fertilisation (IVF) (n = 178) and ICSI (n = 110)-derived cryopreserved blastocysts were donated by patients who previously had a baby. This study investigated the impacts of IVF, ICSI, laser-assisted hatching by ZT and formation of ICSI penetration trace on zona pellucida of IVF-derived blastocyst on blastcyst diameter, the estimated number of trophectoderm (TE) cells and completed hatching rate.

Results

The completed hatching rate and diameters of the completely hatched blastocysts at hatching commencement and at the maximum expansion were significantly greater in the IVF than in ICSI groups. The completed hatching rate significantly increased with ZT in both groups. The maximum diameters of the completely hatched blastocysts were significantly smaller in the ZT than in non-ZT groups. The estimated TE cell numbers increased from hatching commencement to their maximum expansion points. The incompletely hatched ICSI-derived blastocysts intermittently herniated cells via small slits until degeneration. The completed hatching rate significantly decreased by the formation of ICSI penetration trace on zona pellucida of IVF-derived blastocyst.

Conclusion

ICSI-derived blastocysts intermittently release proliferating cells and extracted TE cells and/or inner cell masses via a small slit; thus, blastocyst expansion is not sufficiently increased, leading to a reduced complete hatching rate. Therefore, the ICSI penetration trace potentially has negative effects on blastocyst expansion process in vitro and is a risk factor for the failure of completed hatching.

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Acknowledgements

We thank Sayumi Taguchi M.S., Kayoko Hirao and Yoshiko Tsujimoto M.S. for triple checking the cryopreserved blastocysts that the patients approved and agreed to donate because they already had a child. We thank Sayumi Taguchi M.S. for maintaining the Geri+ incubator.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Umeda Fertility Clinic, 3-17-6, Toyosaki, Kita-ku, Osaka, Osaka, 531-0072, Japan

    Taketo Inoue, Kazunori Miyazaki & Yoshiki Yamashita

  2. Department of Emergency, Disaster and Critical Care Medicine, Hyogo College of Medicine, 1-1, Mukogawa-cho, Nishinomiya, Hyogo, 663-8501, Japan

    Taketo Inoue

  3. Faculty of Rehabilitation, Kobe Gakuin University, 518, Arise, Ikawadani-cho, Nishi-ku, Kobe, Hyogo, 651-2180, Japan

    Mikiko Uemura

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  1. Taketo Inoue
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Contributions

T. I. designed this study, collected and analysed data and drafted the manuscript. M. U contributed to the data analysis and critically reviewed the manuscript. K. M and Y. Y revised the manuscript. All authors approved the final manuscript.

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Correspondence to Taketo Inoue.

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The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

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All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the Umeda Fertility Clinic Institutional Review Board (171114) and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.

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Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.

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Inoue, T., Uemura, M., Miyazaki, K. et al. Failure of complete hatching of ICSI-derived human blastocyst by cell herniation via small slit and insufficient expansion despite ongoing cell proliferation. J Assist Reprod Genet 36, 1579–1589 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10815-019-01521-x

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