Co-culture with assisted hatching of human embryos using Buffalo rat liver cells.

Commercially obtained Buffalo rat liver (BRL) cells were grown in monolayer culture. The effect of BRL cell co-culture with assisted hatching on embryo development, implantation and pregnancy was investigated in a population of 200 'first-time' in-vitro fertilization (IVF) patients, subdivided into three groups according to the methods of fertilization [IVF; intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI); ICSI/IVF]. Assisted hatching was performed on all embryos chosen for transfer.