Physiological Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection
Uses sperm's ability to bind to hyaluronic acid to select confirmed mature sperm for ICSI.
Mature, functionally normal sperm have receptors on their surface that bind to hyaluronic acid, the main component of the cumulus cells surrounding the oocyte. PICSI mimics the binding mechanism between mature sperm and the oocyte to select sperm with lower DNA fragmentation for ICSI.
Laboratory staff perform a semen analysis to assess suitability for PICSI.
Sperm that bind to hyaluronic acid have a higher maturity rate and lower DNA fragmentation.
Sperm that bind to hyaluronic acid are selected for intracytoplasmic injection.
Laboratory staff perform semen analysis and assess whether PICSI is suitable.
Gradient centrifugation is used to select motile sperm.
Motile and mature sperm bind to the hyaluronic acid coating on the culture dish.
Mature and motile sperm are selected under the microscope for microinjection.
| Comparison item | Traditional ICSI | PICSI |
|---|---|---|
| Criteria | Motility / morphology | Maturity / DNA integrity |
| Clinical application | Basic selection | Advanced selection |
| Reference standard | Selects motile sperm | Directly selects mature sperm |
If IVF has failed repeatedly, sperm count is sufficient, and KRUGER morphology is below 1%, PICSI may be considered to help ensure sperm quality.
If sperm motility is very low or sperm count is insufficient, PICSI is not recommended because enough mature sperm may not be available for ICSI.
ICSI is the microinjection method; PICSI adds hyaluronic-acid binding selection before ICSI to choose mature sperm.
Precision meets life.
The BRC laboratory evaluates whether PICSI is suitable based on semen analysis.