Non-invasive measurement of human fetal circulation using ultrasound: a new method.

Abstract

We combined two ultrasound techniques to develop a safe, non-invasive, transcutaneous method of observing the circulation in the umbilical arteries and vein in the fetus. The umbilical cord can be located by standard echo ultrasound procedures, and this information can be used to direct a Doppler ultrasound beam on to the vessels in the cord. The signals can be heard through audio headphones or recorded on a tape recorder and spectrum-analysed. The method was successful in each of 20 patients examined, whose pregnancies ranged from 12 to 40 weeks' gestational age, and was suitable for outpatient use. It should be useful in assessing such conditions as pre-eclampsia and intrauterine growth retardation. FIG 1-B-scan showing umbilical cord (UC) of 12-week-old fetus and displaying the echoscan depth-markers (EM).

Role of umbilical artery Doppler velocimetry in predicting the adverse perinatal outcomes in hypertensive disorder of pregnancy

“…4 A meta analysis of randomized controlled trials of UA Doppler velocimetry (2013) in high risk pregnancies (mainly pregnancies associated with hypertension and suspected IUGR) demonstrated that its use was associated with a trend toward reduction in perinatal mortality, although there was no effect on neonatal morbidity. 5 Present study is an effort to establishing the role of UA Doppler ultrasound in predicting adverse perinatal outcome in hypertensive disorders of pregnancy and to determine its role in clinical management of such pregnancies.…”

Evaluation of fetal middle cerebral artery Doppler indices in pregnancies with intrauterine growth restriction: A cross-sectional study

“…Several published studies have confirmed the importance of assessment of the cerebral circulation as an indicator of fetal hypoxia. [11,[15][16][17][18] A total of 100 cases, 50 cases from normal pregnant women, i.e., (control group) and 50 cases from the high-risk group, i.e., (study group) were studied in II and IIItrimesters of pregnancy.…”

“…[12,15,16,18,20] The brain sparing effect denotes the redistribution of available blood from the abdominal and peripheral vessels to the brain which is a vital organ requiring adequate perfusion. [11,13,16] …”

“…He studied that both the uteroplacental and fetoplacental circulations are usually low resistance systems. [11] Several workers have measured the peak systolic/end diastolic ratio (S/D), pulsatility index (PI), and resistance index (RI) in the uterine artery only. Some have measured the S/D, PI, and RI in the umbilical artery and fetal middle cerebral artery (MCA).…”

“…Some have measured the S/D, PI, and RI in the umbilical artery and fetal middle cerebral artery (MCA). [5][6][7][8][9][10][11] Hence, it has motivated to undertake the present study to evaluate the fetal growth with color Doppler velocimetry in normal and high-risk pregnancies. In the present study, the most common high-risk pregnancy like intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) is studied.…”