Pentoxifylline (PTX) activates sperm motility. Our objective is to evaluate whether PTX improves ICSI with testicular biopsy (TESE) results given that it common to find.
We analysed 101 ICSI with TESE cycles, in which we we assessed female age, oocyte number, mature oocytes, fertilization rate, division rate, optimal embryos, transferred embryos, gestation rate by microinjection and by transfer. We compared, by infertility cause; fresh or frozen TESE; motile or immotile spermatozoa; vasectomized or azoospermic patients, and whether PTX was used or not.
Less optimal embryos were obtained with mixed infertility causes (1.6 vs. 2.3; p < 0.05). Although fewer embryos were transferred with freez-thawed TESE (1.53 vs. 2.16) they still had the same pregnancy rate as fresh. Microinjection of immotile spermatozoa gave lower fertilization rates and lower pregnancy rates. There were no differences between vasectomized and azoospermic patients. The groups with and without PTX showed no significant differences.
The same results were found with fresh and frozen TESE. PTX does activate sperm motility, and in all cases where motile sperm was microinjected motile sperm there was improved fertilization and pregnancy rates.