Key result
Fetuses conceived through assisted reproductive technologies exhibited decreased global sphericity index (1.18 vs 1.22, p=0.007) and right ventricular fractional area change (37.2 vs 39.7, p=0.003).
Why the study?
To evaluate changes of cardiac morphology and function in fetuses conceived through assisted reproductive technologies using speckle tracking echocardiography.
Does conception through assisted reproductive technologies alter fetal cardiac morphology and function compared to spontaneous conception?
Observational (n=200)
Does conception through assisted reproductive technologies alter fetal cardiac morphology and function compared to spontaneous conception?
Fetuses conceived through assisted reproductive technologies demonstrate subclinical right-sided cardiac remodeling and systolic function impairment compared to spontaneously conceived fetuses.
OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the changes of cardiac morphology and function in fetuses conceived through assisted reproductive technologies (ART) by speckle tracking echocardiography. METHODS: A retrospective study was conducted in 101 spontaneously conceived (SC) fetuses and 99 ART-conceived ones. Fetal echocardiography was performed, fetal cardiac morphology and function were analyzed using two-dimensional speckle tracking software, including global sphericity index (GSI), global longitudinal strain (GLS), fractional area change (FAC) of the left and right ventricles, as well as segmental sphericity index (SI), end-diastolic diameter (ED), and fractional shortening (FS) in 24 segments. RESULTS: Compared to the SC fetuses, the ART-conceived fetuses exhibited decreased GSI (median [interquartile range], 1.22 [1.16-1.27] vs. 1.18 [1.11-1.24], p=0.007), decreased right ventricular GLS (24.9 [21.5-27.6] vs. 23.2 [20.4-26.8], p=0.026), and decreased right ventricular FAC (mean ± standard deviation, 39.7 ± 6.4 vs. 37.2 ± 7.1, p=0.003). Analysis of the 24 segments showed that ART-conceived fetuses had reduced SI in the apical segments of right ventricle and increased ED in several segments of the right ventricle. CONCLUSIONS: Fetuses conceived through ART had a more spherical shape of the global heart and predominantly right-sided cardiac remodeling and systolic function impairment.
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Gao et al. (2024) conducted an observational in Fetuses conceived through assisted reproductive technology (n=200). Assisted reproductive technologies (ART) vs. Spontaneously conceived (SC) was evaluated on Global sphericity index (GSI) (p=0.007). Fetuses conceived through assisted reproductive technologies exhibited decreased global sphericity index (1.18 vs 1.22, p=0.007) and right ventricular fractional area change (37.2 vs 39.7, p=0.003).
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