Aim:TocomparetherecoveryrateofmorphologicallynormalandchromatincondensedspermatozoafromnativesemensamplesusingtheSpermPrepTMfiltrationcolumnsandPercollgradientcentrifugationandtodeterminetheinfluenceofthetwoprocessingtechniquesonfertilizationandpregnancyratesinanIVF-ETprogram.Methods:Sixteensemensamplesobtainedfrompatient'shusbandwereincludedinthisstudy.Eachwaspidedintotwoaliquots.ThefirstaliquotwasprocessedwithSpermPrepTMfiltrationcolumnsandthesecond,Percollgradientcentrifugation.Smearsweremadebeforeandaftersemenprocessingwithbothmethodsfortheevaluationofchromatincondensation(chromomycineCMA3)aswellasmorphology(strictcriteria)ofspermatozoa.Onehundredandseventyoocyteswereretrievedfromthepatientsandtheoocytesfromeachpatientweresubpidedintotwosets:onesetwasinseminatedusingspermatozoaprocessedwithSpermPrepTMandtheotherinseminatedaftersemenprocessingwithPercollgradientcentrifugation.Resuits:ThePercollmethodyieldedasignificantlyhigherpercentageofchromatincondensed(90.8±6.5%vs82.3±8.8%,P=0.017)andmorphologicallynormalspermatozoa(12.9±7.4%vs6.9±4.8%,P=0.001)incomparisontoSpermPrepTM.Whereas,spermcountrecoveryratewassignificantlyhigheraftertheuseofSpermPrepTMthanafterthePercollgradientcentrifugation.Thefertilizationratewassimilarbetweenthetwomethods.Conclusion:SemenprocessingwithPercollshouldberecommendedforintracytoplasmicsperminjectionasthenaturalselectionisbypassedandtheSpermPrepTMtechniquecouldberecommendedfor1VFandIUIprogramsasthespermconcentrationplaysamoresignificantroleintheseprocedures.
