procedure. it is used to diagnose a large number of genetic defects at present. success or failure factors one of the areas in which sperm injection can be useful is vasectomy reversal. however, potential factors that may influence pregnancy rates (and live birth rates) in icsi include level of dna fragmentation as measured e.g. by comet assay, advanced maternal age and semen quality. it is uncertain whether icsi improves live birth rates or reduces the risk of miscarriage compared with ultra‐high magnification (imsi) sperm selection. a systematic meta-analysis of 24 estimates of dna damage based on a variety of techniques concluded that sperm dna damage negatively affects clinical pregnancy following icsi. numerous biochemical markers were shown to be associated with oocyte quality for icsi. for example, it was shown that after icsi the follicular fluid of unfertilized oocytes contains high levels of cytotoxicity and oxidative stress markers, as cu,zn-superoxide dismutase, catalase, and lipoperoxidation product 4-hydroxynonenal (4-hne) -protein conjugates. complications