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. (C)2000 by American Society fur Reproductive Medicine.