Zavos Diagnostics Laboratories
Contact Information:
USA: 800-998-4567
Int'l: 859-278-6806
Fax: 859-278-6906

Zavos Diagnostic Laboratories, Inc.

 

"People is our business and the world is our market"

Robotic Hand with Sperm

Semen Preparation

 

 

ZSC-II Swim Up Column Instructions


Step-by-Step Demonstration of the ZSC-II Swim Up Column

Dr Zavos

Professor, Panos Zavos,
Inventor of the ZSC-II technology
President & CEO, ZDL, Inc.
Founder and Director, Andrology Institute of America
Associate Director, Kentucky Center for Reproductive Medicine & IVF

Using the ZSC-II Kit

Using the ZSC-II Kit Powerpoint

[PPT] PowerPoint Slide Presentation

 

The materials that you will need to proceed with Semen Preparation and IUI are as follows:

  • ZSC-II Kit (includes ZSC-II, plastic pipette, and 1mL syringe with needle; all that you need for semen preparation)

Additional materials:

  • SpermPrep Media (12mL vial) (sold separately)
  • LabTop Incubator (sold separately)
  • IUI Catheter (optional)

Step 1

Remove the ZSC® from pouch and and place in Lab-Top® incubator and keep warm (35°C) throughout the procedure. Maintaining physiological temperature is very important to insure maximal yield of healthy, motile sperm. Keep SpermPrep Media at same temperature (35°C).

Remove top stopper and place 2.0mL of liquefied semen inside the cone on the bottom of the ZSC-II column until completely filled (use disposable plastic pipette provided). Avoid introducing air bubbles during placement of semen. Also, the use of non-liquefied, viscous specimens can prevent the proper recovery of sperm. For viscous samples, use the VLS Kit.

 

Step 2

 

Using the enclosed tuberculin syringe with needle, aspirate 0.7mL of media (SpermPrep®) from the vial, allow it to warm and then place it in the area around the cone containing the semen, which eventually will go over the top of the cone and cover it completely. Cap ZSC® with top stopper.

 

 

 

 

Step 3

 

Place the ZSC® in the Lab Top® Incubator at 37°C and incubate for 45-60 minutes (for IUI). For ICSI or other ART procedures, you may wish to shorten or prolong the incubation time, according to the numbers of sperm you wish to recover.

 

If the specimen is deficient, you may incubate longer in order to harvest larger populations of motile sperm that could bring about better IUI response (pregnancies).

 

Step 4

 

Remove ZSC® from incubator. Using the provided syringe with needle, aspirate all media placed in ZSC®, by placing needle on the outside of the bottom of cone and aspirating until all media containing the healthy sperm is removed (approx. 0.7mL).

 

You may use the recovered sperm in media as is, or you may choose to concentrate the recovered sperm to desirable levels via centrifugation prior to performing the IUI or any other ART procedure. Customarilly, the 0.7mL volume is adequate and can be introduced into the uterus via IUI without any complications.

 

 

Step 5

 

If you purchase the ZSC® II with an IUI catheter or have your own catheter, you may remove the aspirating needle from the syringe, attach the catheter of your choice and perform the IUI procedure.

 

We carry a variety of IUI catheters. We also market the LabTop® Incubator and the Viscolytic System for enzymatic liquefaction of viscous specimens.

 

References:

The manuscripts below are available for download by clicking on the titles

 

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