Related Experiment Video
Updated: Feb 11, 2026
Multimodal Study of Murine Cardiovascular Remodeling: Four-Dimensional Ultrasound and Mass Spectrometry Imaging
Published on: January 10, 2025
Postnatal persistence of fetal cardiovascular remodelling associated with assisted reproductive technologies: a
B Valenzuela-Alcaraz1,2, A Serafini1, A Sepulveda-Martínez1,3
1Fetal i+d Fetal Medicine Research Centre, BCNatal - Barcelona Centre for Maternal-Fetal and Neonatal Medicine (Hospital Clínic and Hospital Sant Joan de Déu), Institut Clínic of Gynecology, Obstetrics and Neonatology, IDIBAPS, Universitat de Barcelona, CIBER-ER, Barcelona, Spain.
Objective:
To assess the postnatal persistence of fetal cardiovascular remodelling associated with assisted reproductive technologies (ART) in children at 3 years of age.
Design:
A cohort study of children conceived by ART.
Setting:
Maternal-Fetal Medicine Unit, Hospital Clinic Barcelona, Spain.
Population Sample:
Eighty singleton pregnancies conceived by ART and 80 spontaneously conceived (controls) followed from fetal life up to childhood.
Methods:
Cardiovascular evaluation was performed at 3 years of corrected age, including echocardiography, carotid intima-media (cIMT) by ultrasound, and blood pressure.
Main Outcome Measures:
Postnatal persistence of cardiovascular changes in children conceived by ART.
Results:
Compared with controls, children conceived by ART showed larger atria (right atrial area: control 4.9 cm2 (0.9) versus ART 5.5 cm2 (0.9), P < 0.001), more globular ventricles (right ventricular sphericity index: control mean 1.8 (SD 0.5) versus ART 1.6 (0.2), P < 0.001), and signs of systolic (tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion: control 18 mm (2) versus ART 16 mm (3), P < 0.001) and diastolic dysfunction (isovolumic relaxation time: control 68 ms (12) versus ART 79 ms (12), P < 0.001). ART children also presented increased systolic blood pressure (control 90 mmHg (6) versus ART 94 mmHg (5), P < 0.003) and cIMT (control 0.52 μm (0.14) versus ART 0.60 μm (0.16), P < 0.001) as compared with those spontaneously conceived.
Conclusions:
Cardiovascular changes previously reported in ART fetuses persist postnatally at 3 years of age. These results underscore the importance of future studies for assessing the long-term cardiovascular health associated with ART.
Tweetable Abstract:
Cardiovascular changes described in fetuses conceived by ART, persist in children at 3 years of age.
Related Concept Videos
02:54Nucleosome Remodeling
Nucleosome remodeling complex
Eukaryotic cells have specialized enzymes called ATP-dependent nucleosome remodeling enzymes. These enzymes...
01:17Imaging Studies for Cardiovascular System I:Echocardiography
Indications: Echocardiography is utilized to diagnose heart failure, valve disorders, and myocardial infarction. It also assesses cardiac structures' size, shape, and motion,...
01:27Reproductive Cloning
Somatic Cell Nuclear Transfer
In SCNT, an egg cell is taken from an animal and its nucleus is removed, creating an enucleated egg. Then a somatic...
01:28Imaging Studies for Cardiovascular System V: CT
01:20Imaging Studies for Cardiovascular System II:Types of Echocardiography
Types of Echocardiography
Transthoracic Echocardiography (TTE)
TTE is the most common type of echocardiogram which involves placing a transducer on the patient's chest, emitting sound waves to create heart images. TTE is invaluable for evaluating the heart's size, structure, and motion, making it particularly useful for...
01:20Blood Studies for Cardiovascular System I: Cardiac Biomarkers
The essential diagnostic tools for detecting myocardial necrosis and monitoring individuals suspected of having acute coronary syndrome (ACS) include:
Troponins
Troponins, particularly cardiac troponins I and T, are the most precise and sensitive markers of myocardial injury. They are detectable within 4-6 hours of myocardial injury and remain...