PolScope technology combines innovations in polarisation optics (special lighting and lenses) with novel image-processing software and is used as an add-on technique for the ICSI procedure. It uses polarised light to clearly see where the genetic material is stored in the egg.
Use of the PolScope has shown that the spindle does not necessarily lie near the polar body. In up to 2/3 of cases, the spindle is not related to the polar body and therefore that spindle may be damaged by the injection needle during the ICSI process. Disruption of the spindle may affect fertilisation and how the embryo divides. Use of the PolScope allows the next generation fertility embryologists at Manipal Fertility to align the spindle prior to injection of the sperm, avoiding damage to the egg’s genes. It also allows them to identify eggs without spindles, increasing the information available to the patient and their doctor regarding the quality of the eggs produced. Using the PolScope appears to have a significant effect on the quality of embryos produced during a cycle.
Fragmentation of embryos is where there is the appearance of embryo cells falling apart. It is a bad sign and it is also associated with a lower pregnancy rate. It is seen in around 50% of embryos produced using the ICSI process. With the use of the PolScope, the amount of fragmentation is reduced to around 1/3 of embryos generated. Overall this increases the number of quality embryos suitable for use (transfer or cryopreservation).