Fetal thoracic aorta doppler in cases with intrauterine growth restriction

Purpose: Considering the accompanying hemodynamic changes Doppler studies have recently been performed for early diagnosis of intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) cases with high morbidity and mortality. In the present study, Doppler study of the fetal thoracic aorta was conducted and the sensitivity and specificity of the study was assessed in the diagnosis and follow-up of IUGR, as well as prediction of pregnancy outcome. Methods: This study included 44 IUGR cases and 52 healthy pregnant women (as a control group); Doppler waveforms of the fetal aortas were used to predict fetal outcome in pregnancies complicated with IUGR. Due to the short interval between the diagnosis of IUGR and delivery, the Doppler measurement could be redone for only 11 pregnant women in the control group; Doppler measurement could be done twice. Results: There was no significant difference between the study group and the control group in terms of maternal age. There were significant differences in terms of gestational age, birth weight, pulsatility index, blood pressure and first minute apgar score. Of the 44 IUGR cases, there were additional pathologies such as hypertension, DM and oligohydroamniosis, while there was no significant malfunction in the control group. Conclusion: We observed a decrease in the aortic blood flow and a high pulsatility index, which was an independent variable in the IUGR group. A high PI was strongly correlated with bad pregnancy outcome, fetal distress and a high cesarean section rate.