Clinical and Experimental Obstetrics & Gynecology (CEOG) is published by IMR Press from Volume 47 Issue 1 (2020). Previous articles were published by another publisher on a subscription basis, and they are hosted by IMR Press on imrpress.com as a courtesy and upon agreement with S.O.G.
The clinical significance of antenatal pathological Doppler findings in fetal middle cerebral artery compared to umbilical artery and fetal aorta
Purpose: To compare the diagnostic capacity of fetal Doppler velocimetry in fetal middle cerebral artery to umbilical artery and fetal aorta to the prediction of fetal outcome. Methods: 229 patients between 28 weeks of gestation (weeks) and 40 weeks were examinated by Doppler ultrasound in relationship to complications in gestation and labor, and fetal outcome. One thousand two hundred and seventy doppler blood flow velocity waveforms in the middle cerebral artery, umbilical artery and fetal aorta were recorded. Sensitivity of these vessels with regard to the prediction of intrauterine growth retardation, rate of cesarean section, preterm delivery and new-born depression was calculated. In all Doppler measurements there were no cases with absence of end-diastolic flow. Results: The differences between pathological fetal outcome were not statistically significant, but diagnostic capacity of the middle cerebral artery velocimetry with regard to the prediction of pathological fetal outcome was on average 11 % below the diagnostic capacity of the fetal aorta and umbilical artery. Conclusion: There is no benefit in examining fetal middie cerebral artery Doppler measurements in clinical routine in patients with normal velocity waveforms in the umbilical artery and fetal aorta.