Vitrificación de espermatozoides: una alternativa a la inyección intracitoplasmática de espermatozoides en paciente con oligoastenozoospermia severa

Therapy for patients with severe oligozoospermia is the intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI). However, its high cost limits its application in countries whose health systems do not cover this medical technique. The new vitrification technique makes it possible to store sperm after sperm selection until reaching the minimum concentration for cycles of intrauterine insemination (IUI). A clinical case is reported of a couple (male age 32, female age 31) who underwent 2 ICSI procedures, one of which was successful, resulting in the birth of a healthy, live born son. Motile sperm were obtained by swim-up, resuspended in Vitrisperm® medium, stored in straws at a concentration of 0.5 to 1.5 × 106 cells/mL, and vitrified in direct contact by liquid nitrogen. Ovarian stimulation was induced and IUI was performed 36 hours after hCG administration. The post-devitrification sample presented a concentration of 3.0 × 106 motile sperm. The evolution of normal fetal development was controlled by 3D ultrasound and subsequent birth by cesarean delivery of a healthy male newborn. Although these are preliminary results, ultrarapid freezing preserves the physiological function in a high number of spermatozoa. This generates a low-cost alternative treatment for patients with severe oligozoospermia.