Zygote intrafallopian transfer in patients with tubal factor infertility after repeated failure of implantation with in vitro fertilization-embryo transfer.

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the efficacy of zygote intrafallopian transfer (ZIFT) in terms of implantation and pregnancy rates in patients with tubal factor infertility and repeated implantation failure in IVF-ET cycles.

DESIGN

Retrospective analysis of ZIFT cycles.

SETTING

An IVF unit in a university hospital.

PATIENT(S): Criteria for patient selection for ZIFT included at least four failures of implantation in IVF-ET cycles in which at least 3 embryos were replaced per transfer and a cause of infertility diagnosed as male, unexplained, or tubal factor with proof of one patient tube.

INTERVENTION(S): Four to six zygotes were transferred by laparoscopy into the fallopian tube 24-26 hours after oocyte retrieval.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): Implantation and pregnancy rates were determined in 112 ZIFT cycles performed in 81 patients with repeated failure of implantation. Results were further stratified for patients with tubal factor (n = 15) and patients without tubal factor (n = 66).

RESULT(S): The pregnancy and implantation rates for all ZIFT cycles were 35.1% and 11.1%, respectively. Pregnancy and implantation rates per cycle in patients with tubal factor versus patients without tubal factor were 26.6% versus 37.1% and 9.4% versus 11.4%, respectively.

CONCLUSION(S): ZIFT can be considered as a mode of treatment for patients with repeated failure of implantation in IVF-ET and with tubal factor with proved patency of one tube.