Deep learning classification integrating embryo images with associated clinical information from ART cycles

An advanced Artificial Intelligence (AI) model that leverages cutting-edge computer vision techniques to analyse embryo images and clinical data, enabling accurate prediction of clinical pregnancy outcomes in single embryo transfer procedures. Three AI models were developed, trained, and tested using a database comprised of a total of 1503 international treatment cycles (Thailand, Malaysia, and India): 1) A Clinical Multi-Layer Perceptron (MLP) for patient clinical data. 2) An Image Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) AI model using blastocyst images. 3) A fused model using a combination of both models. All three models were evaluated against their ability to predict clinical pregnancy and live birth. Each of the models were further assessed through a visualisation process where the importance of each data point clarified which clinical and embryonic features contributed the most to the prediction. The MLP model achieved a strong performance of 81.76% accuracy, 90% average precision and 0.91 AUC (Area Under the Curve). The CNN model achieved a performance of 66.89% accuracy, 74% average precision and 0.73 AUC. The Fusion model achieved 82.42% accuracy, 91% average precision and 0.91 AUC. From the visualisation process we found that female and male age to be the most clinical factors, whilst Trophectoderm to be the most important blastocyst feature. There is a gap in performance between the Clinical and Images model, which is expected due to the difficulty in predicting clinical pregnancy from just the blastocyst images. However, the Fusion AI model made more informed predictions, achieving better performance than separate models alone. This study demonstrates that AI for IVF application can increase prediction performance by integrating blastocyst images with patient clinical information.