Intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) is the most signi?cant therapeutic advance in male INFERTILITY treatment in the past 30 years. The technique is used when in vitro fertilisation (IVF – see under ASSISTED CONCEPTION) is not possible because the man has very few, motile, normal sperm (see SPERMATOZOON), or when previous attempts at IVF have not produced a fertilised EMBRYO. ICSI requires a single sperm which is injected directly into the cytoplasm of an egg previously retrieved from the woman. Once fertilised, the embryo is transferred to her UTERUS. For men with no sperm in the semen, it may be possible to retrieve sperm by needle aspiration of the EPIDIDYMIS under local anaesthetic (see ANAESTHESIA). Other techniques involve microsurgical retrieval from the epididymis or TESTICLE under a general anaesthetic. Potential complications include scrotal pain, bruising, HAEMATOMA formation and infection. ICSI and surgical sperm-retrieval require extensive training and expertise and is currently available in only a few selected
infertility units. Safety concerns relate to a higher-than-expected rate of abnormalities in the SEX CHROMOSOMES after ICSI, and also the potential risk of transmitting paternal genetic defects in the Y chromosome to sons born after ICSI.
An injection is the introduction of a substance into the body using a syringe and an attached needle. Injections may be given under the skin (subcutaneous), via a vein (intravenous), deep into a muscle (intramuscular), or into the ?uid surrounding the spinal cord (intrathecal).... injections
the injection of a bulking agent (e.g. collagen) into the tissues around the urethra, used for the treatment of urodynamic stress *incontinence. Such injections have a low morbidity and are easy to administer, and results are better in women with good bladder-neck support but poor urethral function. The short-term success rates of these procedures are reasonable, but long-term success rates are poor.... periurethral injection
a facility that collects, freezes, and stores human sperm for future use in *artificial insemination (see cryopreservation). Sperm is donated by men who relinquish legal rights to any future child, and donors’ identities are generally unknown to recipients. In some cases, men store their sperm for their own future use if they are to undergo a medical treatment that might leave them sterile.... sperm bank