Hostname: page-component-848d4c4894-v5vhk Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-06-22T23:32:30.117Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Single live birth derived from conjoined oocytes using laser-cutting technique: a case report

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  27 July 2021

Qin Wang ,
Ashley Ulker Open the ORCID record for Ashley Ulker [Opens in a new window] ,
Hongfeng Wang ,
Bin Wu ,
Aijun Yang  and
George R. Attia
Qin Wang
Affiliation:
Department of Reproductive Medicine, Affiliated Hospital of Jining Medical University, Shandong, China
Ashley Ulker*
Affiliation:
Division of Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility, Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, FL, USA
Hongfeng Wang
Affiliation:
Division of Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility, Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, FL, USA
Bin Wu
Affiliation:
Arizona Center for Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility, Tucson, AZ85712, USA
Aijun Yang
Affiliation:
Department of Reproductive Medicine, Affiliated Hospital of Jining Medical University, Shandong, China
George R. Attia
Affiliation:
Division of Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility, Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, FL, USA
*
Author for correspondence: Ashley Ulker. Division of Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility, Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, FL, USA. E-mail: Ashleyulker@gmail.com
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Summary

The finding of conjoined oocytes is a rare occurrence that accounts for only 0.3% of all human retrieved oocytes. This phenomenon is quite different from that of a traditional single oocyte emanating from one follicle, and may result in dizygotic twins and mosaicism. Given the insufficient evidence on how to approach conjoined oocytes, their fate is variable among different in vitro fertilization (IVF) centres. In this observational report, we propose a new protocol for the use of these conjoined oocytes using intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI), laser-cutting technique and next-generation sequencing (NGS). The first case report demonstrates that conjoined oocytes can penetrate their shared zona pellucida (ZP) at Day 6. The second case is that of a 25-year-old female patient who underwent a successful embryo transfer cycle after removal of one oocyte in which a pair of conjoined human oocytes underwent ICSI, laser-cutting separation and NGS testing. The patient achieved pregnancy and gave birth to single healthy female originally derived from conjoined oocytes. This case provided a means through which normal pregnancy may be achieved from conjoined oocytes using laser-cutting separation techniques. The protocol described may be especially beneficial to patients with a limited number of oocytes.

Keywords

Conjoined oocytesICSILaser-cuttingNext-generation sequencingSingle pregnancy
Type
Research Article
Information
Zygote , Volume 30 , Issue 2 , April 2022 , pp. 217 - 220
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2021. Published by Cambridge University Press

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Aoki, R, Honma, Y, Yada, Y, Momoi, MY and Iwamoto, S (2006). Blood chimerism in monochorionic twins conceived by induced ovulation: case report. Hum Reprod 21, 735–7.Google ScholarPubMed
Ben-Rafael, Z, Mastroianni, L Jr and Kopf, GS (1987). In vitro fertilization and cleavage of a single egg from a binovular follicle containing two individual eggs surrounded by a single zona pellucida. Fertil Steril 47, 707–9.Google ScholarPubMed
Cummins, L, Koch, J and Kilani, S (2016). Live birth resulting from a conjoined oocyte confirmed as euploid using array CGH: a case report. Reprod Biomed Online 32, 62–5.Google ScholarPubMed
Edwards, RG and Fowler, R (1970). The genetics of human preimplantation development. In: Emery, AEH (ed.), Modern Trends in Human Genetics. London, UK: Butterworths.Google Scholar
Fekete, E (1950). Polyovular follicles in the C58 strain of mice. Anat Rec 108, 699–707.Google ScholarPubMed
Gougeon, A (1981). Frequent occurrence of multiovular follicles and multinuclear oocytes in the adult human ovary. Fertil Steril 35, 417–22.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Gougeon, A (1996). Regulation of ovarian follicular development in primates: facts and hypotheses. Endocr Rev 17, 121–55.Google ScholarPubMed
Magdi, Y (2020). Dizygotic twin from conjoined oocytes: a case report. J Assist Reprod Genet 37, 1367–70.Google ScholarPubMed
Payan-Carreira, R and Pires, MA (2008). Multioocyte follicles in domestic dogs: a survey of frequency of occurrence. Theriogenology 69, 977–82.Google ScholarPubMed
Ron-El, R, Nachum, H, Golan, A, Herman, A, Yigal, S and Caspi, E (1990). Binovular human ovarian follicles associated with in vitro fertilization: Incidence and outcome. Fertil Steril 54, 869–72.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Rosenbusch, B (2012). The potential significance of binovular follicles and binucleate giant oocytes for the development of genetic abnormalities. J Genet 91, 397–404.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Safran, A, Reubinoff, BE, Porat-Katz, A, Werner, M, Friedler, S and Lewin, A (1998). Intracytoplasmic sperm injection allows fertilization and development of a chromosomally balanced embryo from a binovular zona pellucida. Hum Reprod 13, 2575–8.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Tanaka, AHN, Kumasawa, K, Tsutsui, T, Furuya, K, Kim, N, Koizumi, K and Kimura, T (2016). A case report of conjoined oocytes with independent zona pellucida from polycystic ovary syndrome. J Gynecol Obstet 4, 5.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Zeilmaker, GH, Alberda, AT and van Gent, I (1983). Fertilization and cleavage of oocytes from a binovular human ovarian follicle: a possible cause of dizygotic twinning and chimerism. Fertil Steril 40, 841–3.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed