High-magnification sperm selection does not decrease the aneuploidy rate in patients who are heterozygous for reciprocal translocations.

Problem: This study sought to evaluate the value of motile sperm organelle morphology examination (MSOME) for selecting euploid spermatozoa in six patients who were heterozygous for a reciprocal translocation.
Method of Study: We used sperm fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) to screen for aneuploidy of the chromosomes involved in the translocations and a putative interchromosomal effect (ICE) for chromosomes 18, X and Y. This procedure was performed on (i) whole sperm (i.e. no selection) and on normal spermatozoa selected (ii) at a magnification typically used for intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI), referred to as "ICSI-like", and (iii) with MSOME.
Results: The balanced translocation rates did not differ significantly (p=0.81) when comparing whole sperm (57.2 %) with spermatozoa after ICSI-like selection (56.3 %) or after MSOME (53.7 %). Similarly, the aneuploidy rates for ICEs did not differ significantly (p=0.14) when comparing whole sperm (1.9 %), ICSI-selected spermatozoa (3.4 %) and MSOME-selected spermatozoa (1.0 %).
Conclusion: For patients who are heterozygous for reciprocal translocations, MSOME does not improve the selection of euploid spermatozoa.