Optimal puncture position for ICSI can be detected by image analysis using Local Binary Pattern

Research question: One of the problems during the intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) procedure is unintentional membrane rupture (UMR), which often predisposes to subsequent oocyte degeneration. Can the ICSI Position Detector (IPD) be useful in identifying the optimal puncture location to prevent UMR during ICSI?Design: A total of 709 mature oocytes were included. Conventional ICSI was carried out and images were recorded by IPD; these were analysed retrospectively.Results: Inseminated oocytes were retrospectively grouped according to the IPD, irrespective of whether oolemma was punctured at an area in which UMR is likely (non-appropriate group) or unlikely (appropriate group). In the appropriate group, rates of UMR (5.3% versus 18.2%) and degeneration (2.5% versus 8.7%) were significantly lower than those of the non-appropriate group, whereas rate of fertilization (87.1% versus 69.7%) was significantly higher than those of the non-appropriate group, respectively (P < 0.001). These differences remained even after propensity score matching to adjust for potential differences in characteristics between appropriate and non-appropriate groups.Conclusions: This study demonstrated that the IPD is useful to identify the optimal puncture location to circumvent UMR during the ICSI procedure, resulting in reduced UMR and oocyte degeneration, thereby, generating more embryos available for transfer or cryopreservation.

Automated summary

During the intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) procedure, unintentional membrane rupture (UMR) often leads to oocyte degeneration. The study showed that the ICSI Position Detector (IPD) can be helpful in identifying the best puncture location to prevent UMR and improve the success of the procedure.