What Is ROSI Technique, Is It New Method?

ROSI (Round Spermatid Injection) is a laboratory technique used in the context of severe male infertility. In couples where no mature sperm cells can be obtained, the method is based on injecting immature, round-shaped sperm precursor cells (round spermatids) directly into the egg in an attempt to achieve fertilization. Because it works with cells that have not yet fully developed into sperm, ROSI is considered an experimental approach rather than a standard part of routine IVF treatment.

Is the ROSI Technique a New Method?

ROSI is not a new technique. Its first applications date back to the second half of the 1990s, and it was tried in a number of different countries. However, the success rate of these early applications was nowhere near expectations. Both the low success rates and the inability to identify deformities in the cells that were created limited how widely the technique could spread.

Because of these concerns, some countries regarded as benchmarks in IVF such as England and the USA prohibited the application of the technique, citing its low success rates and the risks it may pose to the children to be born.

More recently, the technique was revised by the Japanese scientist Dr. Tanaka and his colleagues. The team shared their work in the academic field, and this revised version drew particular attention in countries where donation is prohibited, as it offered a potential alternative for couples with limited options.

Is the ROSI Technique Successful?

When looking at the evidence, the reported success rates remain very low. Today, there are 23 known cases in which the ROSI technique was applied. Of these, 17 cases were followed, and 11 of them never produced a successful result. When all the cases are evaluated together, only a 2% live birth rate was achieved across all transferred embryos.

It is also important to interpret this figure in the right context. Considering that only about 30% of patients who undergo surgical procedures can benefit from this technique, and that many couples need multiple treatment cycles or transfers to achieve pregnancy or birth, it is a realistic approach to evaluate this rate as below 1% per patient.

In addition, all of the reported live births come from the revised ROSI technique of Dr. Tanaka and his colleagues. Beyond this, there are currently no further supportive results in terms of clinical success, and no additional academic articles are available to confirm the method more broadly.

Who Might Be Considered for ROSI?

ROSI is discussed only in a very specific and limited situation: couples affected by severe male infertility in whom no usable mature sperm can be retrieved, including through surgical procedures. Even in this group, as the figures above show, only a small proportion of patients could potentially benefit. This is why the technique is not part of standard treatment and, where it is considered at all, it must be handled in experienced, well-equipped clinics with careful patient counselling about its experimental nature and low success rates.

Is the ROSI Technique Applied at Bahçeci Clinics?

Bahçeci Health Group has always aimed to be a pioneer in Turkey when it comes to applying the most recent, effective and innovative treatments, and we intend to continue doing so. The ROSI technique should only be applied in experienced and well-equipped clinics, and Bahçeci Health Group has the relevant technology and staff to apply it.

At the same time, our main criterion when selecting new methods and techniques for our clinics is the proven success and effectiveness of the treatment. It is not in line with our corporate and medical ethics understanding to offer our patients methods for which there are no certain studies demonstrating their success and effectiveness.

For this reason, we take the regular guidelines of international reproductive health associations as our guide when deciding whether to add a new method to our clinics. If the ROSI technique becomes an approved method with an acceptable success rate, we may then apply it in our clinics as well.