CASA- COMPUTER ASSISTED SEMEN ANALYSIS- a state of the art
facility available at Ankur
High end Microoptics machine with florescence microscopy
“Computer Assisted Semen Analysis”. A Microscope images of moving sperms is
translated into a series of measurements and quantified numbers. Compared to
conventional methods, it provides:
A revolution in precision and accuracy – especially for
sperm morphology, a critical factor of fertilization. A Video Images are
depicted live on the computer monitor. Images are shown in negative contrast
ie. sperm is seen in white against a black background.
Eliminates operator bias and provides additional parameters
of fertilizing ability (see 3 below) and also images to recheck the validity.
Mostly used for assessment of sperm concentration and
specific patterns of sperm motility (velocity, linearity etc). Imaging systems
in CASA are high end since the sperm movements are upto 80 beats per second and
ordinary video systems capture images at 25 to 30 frames per second. The latter
will give a hazy image of the tail as well as low reliability of sperm
motility. CASA has facility to reconstruct input video images at higher frame
rates and is therefore a reliable instrument to analyse fast moving sperms.
It generates kinematic values based on velocity of movement,
width of the sperm head trajectory and frequency of the change in the direction
of sperm head. Hence it is able to analyse variations in sperm motility
patterns in a quantifiable way.
The available clinical data show that the measurement
obtained by CASA are correlated with conception in vivo and fertilization in
vitro, but comprehensive quality control and quality assurance programs are
necessary to ensure accuracy. CASA can be a guide to predict if the sperm can penetrate
through the cervical mucous in the female, that the spermatozoa prepared for an
in vitro fertilization attempt will succeed / fail to penetrate the coverings
of the oocyte.
