Motile sperm organelle morphology examination (MSOME) can predict outcomes of conventional in vitro fertilization: A prospective pilot diagnostic study

Abstract

The objective of this prospective diagnostic study was to explore the relationships between the morphological indices of sperm using motile sperm organelle morphology examination (MSOME) and the clinical outcome of in vitro fertilization (IVF). A total of 291 couples were included in this study. The female patients exhibited tubal and pelvic factors, and their partners’ gametes were tested prospectively by MSOME. Spearman correlation analysis was used to identify the relationship between MSOME and IVF rates and conventional sperm parameters. The effect of MSOME characteristics on pregnancy outcome was analyzed by multivariate logistic regression. MSOME characteristics showed statistical relationships with sperm concentration (R = 0.130, P = 0.025), progressive motility (R = 0.260, P < 0.001), and strict normal morphology (P = 0.648, R < 0.001). The percentage of sperm with normal morphology and vacuolation in the anterior head of the sperm, as observed by MSOME, was highly correlated with the IVF fertilization rate (R = 0.176, P = 0.002; P = − 0.230, P < 0.001 respectively). The combined incidence of morphologically normal sperm and posterior vacuolation of the sperm head, as assessed by MSOME, was a predictor of clinical pregnancy (CP) after IVF (sensitivity, 92.9%; specificity, 42.47; and area under the ROC curve, 76.59%). The percentage of normal morphology of sperm by MSOME (OR 3.52, 95% CI 2.05–6.05, P < 0.001) and the posterior part vacuolated sperm (OR 0.65, 95% CI 0.52–0.82, P < 0.001) were significant predictors of successful CP. The MSOME index was significantly correlated with fertilization rates and CP after IVF, and testing with MSOME could constitute a valid diagnostic predictor of IVF outcome.