The Impact of Assisted Reproductive Technology on Umbilical Cord Insertion: Increased Risk of Velamentous Cord Insertion in Singleton Pregnancies Conceived through ICSI
Eriko Fukuda,
Akihiro Hamuro,
Kohei Kitada,
Yasushi Kurihara,
Mie Tahara,
Takuya Misugi,
Akemi Nakano,
Mami Tamaue,
Sae Shinomiya,
Hisako Yoshida,
Masayasu Koyama,
Daisuke Tachibana
Affiliations
Eriko Fukuda
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka City University, 1-4-3 Asahimachi, Abeno-ku, Osaka 5454-8585, Japan
Akihiro Hamuro
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka Metropolitan University, 1-4-3 Asahimachi, Abeno-ku, Osaka 5454-8585, Japan
Kohei Kitada
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka Metropolitan University, 1-4-3 Asahimachi, Abeno-ku, Osaka 5454-8585, Japan
Yasushi Kurihara
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka Metropolitan University, 1-4-3 Asahimachi, Abeno-ku, Osaka 5454-8585, Japan
Mie Tahara
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka Metropolitan University, 1-4-3 Asahimachi, Abeno-ku, Osaka 5454-8585, Japan
Takuya Misugi
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka Metropolitan University, 1-4-3 Asahimachi, Abeno-ku, Osaka 5454-8585, Japan
Akemi Nakano
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka Metropolitan University, 1-4-3 Asahimachi, Abeno-ku, Osaka 5454-8585, Japan
Mami Tamaue
Women’s Health Care Science, Advanced Care Science Field, Graduate School of Nursing, Osaka Metropolitan University, 1-5-17 Asahimachi, Abeno-ku, Osaka 5454-8585, Japan
Sae Shinomiya
Department of Medical Statistics, Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka Metropolitan University, 1-4-3 Asahimachi, Abeno-ku, Osaka 5454-8585, Japan
Hisako Yoshida
Department of Medical Statistics, Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka Metropolitan University, 1-4-3 Asahimachi, Abeno-ku, Osaka 5454-8585, Japan
Masayasu Koyama
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka Metropolitan University, 1-4-3 Asahimachi, Abeno-ku, Osaka 5454-8585, Japan
Daisuke Tachibana
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka Metropolitan University, 1-4-3 Asahimachi, Abeno-ku, Osaka 5454-8585, Japan
Background and Objectives: Vasa previa (VP) is a significant perinatal complication that can have serious consequences for the fetus/neonate. Velamentous cord insertion (VCI) is a crucial finding in prenatal placental morphology surveillance as it is indicative of comorbid VP. Assisted reproductive technology (ART) has been identified as a risk factor for VCI, so identifying risk factors for VCI in ART could improve VP recognition. This study aims to evaluate the displacement of umbilical cord insertion (CI) from the placental center and to examine the relationship between the modes of conception. Materials and Methods: We conducted a retrospective study at the Obstetrics Department of Osaka Metropolitan University Hospital in Japan between May 2020 and June 2022. The study included a total of 1102 patients who delivered after 22 weeks of gestation. They were divided into three groups: spontaneous pregnancy, conventional in vitro fertilization (cIVF), and in vitro fertilization/intracytoplasmic sperm injection (IVF/ICSI). We recorded patient background information, perinatal complications, perinatal outcomes, and a numerical “displacement score”, indicating the degree of separation between umbilical CI and the placental center. Results: The displacement score was significantly higher in the cIVF and IVF/ICSI groups compared with the spontaneous conception group. Additionally, the IVF/ICSI group showed a significantly higher displacement score than the cIVF group. Conclusions: Our study provides the first evidence that the methods of ART can affect the location of umbilical CI on the placental surface. Furthermore, we found that IVF/ICSI may contribute to greater displacement of CI from the placental center.
