Parental chest computerized tomography examination before IVF/ICSI has no impact on pregnancy and neonatal outcomes: a cohort study of 2680 fresh transfer cycles

BACKGROUND: Some concern has been expressed regarding the negative effects of low-level ionizing radiation exposure in the context of radiological evaluation prior to IVF/ICSI treatment, but the available evidence is limited and conflicting. The aim of this study is to evaluate pregnancy and neonatal outcomes of couples who did chest computed tomography (CT) prior to IVF/ICSI. METHODS: This was a retrospective cohort study of 2680 IVF/ICSI fresh embryo transfer cycles conducted from January 2019 – August 2020. Fertility outcomes were compared between couples that had or had not undergone CT examination within 3 months prior to the date of oocyte retrieval and sperm collection. Miscarriage was the primary study outcome, while secondary outcomes included the number of oocytes collected, oocyte maturation, normal fertilization, number of good quality cleavage stage embryos, blastocyst formation, implantation, clinical pregnancy, ectopic pregnancy, live birth, multiple birth, Cesarean section rates, gestational weeks, maternal obstetric complications, birth weight, newborn sex ratio, and birth defect incidence. Propensity score matching was used to control for potential confounding variables. RESULTS: Of the 2680 cycles included in this study, couples underwent CT examination in 731 cycles. After 1:1 propensity score matching, 670 cycles were included in each group. When comparing demographic and fertility-related variables between groups that had and had not undergone CT examination after propensity score matching, we detected no significant differences in miscarriage rates (16.99% vs. 15.77%, OR = 1.10, 95CI% = 0.74 to 1.68). Similarly, both groups exhibited comparable oocyte and embryonic development, implantation rates (41.99% vs. 40.42%, OR = 1.07, 95%CI = 0.87 to 1.31), clinical pregnancy rates (45.67% vs. 44.48%, OR = 1.05, 95%CI = 0.85 to 1.30), ectopic pregnancy rates (2.94% vs. 1.68%, OR = 1.78, 95%CI = 0.59 to 5.36), live birth rates (36.57% vs. 35.67%, OR = 1.04, 95%CI = 0.83 to 1.30), multiple birth rates, Cesarean section rates, gestational weeks, maternal obstetric complication rates, and neonatal outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: Chest CT examination before IVF/ICSI has no impact on pregnancy and neonatal outcomes associated with fresh embryo transfer. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Not applicable.