Clinical value of screening for fetal growth retardation by Doppler ultrasound.

Abstract

A representative sample of 405 pregnant women from one university hospital population was examined by Doppler ultrasound of the umbilical arteries to evaluate the validity of this method as a screening procedure for fetal growth retardation (IUGR) in the 28th and 34th week of pregnancy. Birthweight percentile and ponderal index were used as standards for fetal growth. The sensitivity of predicting impaired fetal growth varied between 17% and 33%, depending on the week of pregnancy and the standards used to define growth retardation. It was concluded that this method is too insensitive as a screening tool for the prediction of fetal growth retardation.

Uteroplacental blood flow velocity waveforms as a predictor of adverse fetal outcome and pregnancy-induced hypertension

“…Of these, only four pregnancies had an abnormal outcome ( [16] and BRUINSE et al [4], whose studies were made on a nonselected population of pregnant women. CAMPBELL et al [6] report a sensitivity of 68% for hypertension, fetal asphyxia and IUGR.…”

“…Some observations have shown that placental circulatory incompetence can be recognized several weeks before fetal growth retardation and pregnancy-induced hypertension become clinically manifest in highrisk pregnancy groups [1,2,6,15,17]. However, some investigators have failed to find significant differences between normal and hypertensive pregnancies [4,10,11]. A number of important questions remain unanswered, foremost of which is the predictive value of the test in the general population.…”

Dopplersonographische Blutflussmessungen in uterinen und fetalen arteriellen Gefäßen als Screeninguntersuchung in der 32. - 34. Schwangerschaftswoche

“…SSW zur Vorhersage der Entwicklung von SIH und IUGR durch und wiesen eine enge Korrelation zwischen RI-Werten oberhalb der 90er Perzentile sowie dem Auftreten enddiastolischer Inzisuren im uteroplazentaren Gefäûbett und der Entwicklung von SIH und IUGR nach. Bruinse et al [15] konnten bei dopplersonografischen Messungen zu einem vergleichbaren Zeitpunkt (28.±34. SSW) nur eine Sensitivität von 17 ± 33 % zur Vorhersage einer IUGR aufzeigen.…”