Dataset Information

The ability of continuous-wave Doppler ultrasound to detect fetal growth restriction.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Fetal growth restriction (FGR), defined as a fetus failing to reach its genetic growth potential, remains poorly diagnosed antenatally. This study aimed to assess the ability of continuous-wave Doppler ultrasound of the umbilical artery (CWD-UmA) to detect FGR in healthy women with low-risk pregnancies.

Methods and findings

This prospective longitudinal descriptive cohort study enrolled infants born to low-risk mothers who were screened with CWD-UmA between 28-34 weeks' gestation; the resistance index (RI) was classified as normal or abnormal. Infants were assessed at 6, 10, 14 weeks, and 6 months postnatally for anthropometric indicators and body composition using the deuterium dilution method to assess fat-free mass (FFM). Neonates in the abnormal RI group were compared with those in the normal RI group, and neonates classified as small-for-gestational age (SGA) were compared with appropriate-for-gestational age (AGA) neonates. Eighty-one term infants were included. Only 6 of 26 infants (23.1%) with an abnormal RI value would have been classified as SGA. The abnormal RI group had significantly reduced mean FFM and FFM-for-age Z-scores at 6, 10, 14 weeks, and 6 months compared with the normal RI group (P<0.015). The SGA group's FFM did not show this consistent trend when compared to AGA FFM, being significantly different only at 6 months (P = 0.039). The main limitation of the study was the small sample size of the infant follow-up.

Conclusions

Abnormal RI obtained from CWD-UmA is able to detect FGR and is considered a useful addition to classifying the neonate only by SGA or AGA at birth.

SUBMITTER: Feucht U

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8351973 | biostudies-literature |

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

ACCESS DATA

Similar Datasets

Project description:IntroductionDetecting the risk of stillbirth during pregnancy remains a challenge. Continuous-wave Doppler ultrasound (CWDU) can be used to screen for placental insufficiency, which is a major cause of stillbirths in low-risk pregnant women. This paper describes the adaptation and implementation of screening with CWDU and shares critical lessons for further rollout. Screening of 7088 low-risk pregnant women with Umbiflow™ (a CWDU device) was conducted in 19 antenatal care clinics at nine study sites in South Africa. Each site comprised a catchment area with a regional referral hospital and primary healthcare antenatal clinics. Women with suspected placental insufficiency as detected by CWDU were referred for follow-up at the hospital. A 35-43% reduction in stillbirths was recorded.MethodsThe authors followed an iterative reflection process using the field and meeting notes to arrive at an interpretation of the important lessons for future implementation of new devices in resource-constrained settings.ResultsKey features of the implementation of CWDU screening in pregnancy combined with high-risk follow-up are described according to a six-stage change framework: create awareness; commit to implement; prepare to implement; implement; integrate into routine practice; and sustain practice. Differences and similarities in implementation between the different study sites are explored. Important lessons include stakeholder involvement and communication and identifying what would be needed to integrate screening with CWDU into routine antenatal care. A flexible implementation model with four components is proposed for the further rollout of CWDU screening.ConclusionsThis study demonstrated that the integration of CWDU screening into routine antenatal care, combined with standard treatment protocols at a higher-level referral hospital, can be achieved with the necessary resources and available maternal and neonatal facilities. Lessons from this study could contribute to future scale-up efforts and help to inform decisions on improving antenatal care and pregnancy outcomes in low- and middle-income countries.

Project description:BackgroundSelective fetal restriction growth (sFGR) is one of the common diseases of monochorionic diamniotic (MCDA) twin pregnancies, resulting in many adverse outcomes. At present, second trimester ultrasonography is widely used in the prenatal diagnosis of sFGR, but the diagnostic effectiveness is still uncertain. The aim of this study is to assess the diagnostic accuracy of second trimester Doppler ultrasound measurements for sFGR.MethodsA retrospective study included 280 pregnant women (118 with and 162 without sFGR) with MCDA pregnancies was conducted in the fetal medicine center from Leiden University Medical Center from January 2008 to December 2013. The women participating had already undergone an ultrasound examination in the second trimester. The postnatal criteria of sFGR was a single birth weight (BW) < 3 rd percentile in a twin, or birth weight discordance (BWD)≥25% between two twins, while the BW of the smaller twin < 10th percentile. Early prenatal diagnosis of sFGR was defined as a single EFW < 3 rd percentile in a twin, or at least 2 of the following 4 parameters must be met (fetal weight of one fetus < 10th percentile, AC of one fetus <10th percentile, EFW discordance≥25%, UA pulsatility index (PI) of the smaller fetus > 95th percentile). According to the diagnosis of sFGR after birth, we evaluate diagnostic effectiveness of Doppler ultrasound in the second trimester for sFGR.ResultsOf these 280 participants, the mean age was 32.06 ± 4.76 years. About 43.9% of pregnant women were primiparas. The ability of second trimester Doppler ultrasound to accurately diagnosed sFGR is 75.4%, missed diagnosis rate and the misdiagnosis rate were 24.6% and 10.5% respectively. The ROC curve indicated that the combination of AC discordance, EFW discordance, and small fetal UA blood flow was the best diagnostic indicator of sFGR in MCDA pregnancy with the AUC was 0.882 (95%CI, 0.839-0.926).ConclusionsSecond trimester Doppler and ultrasound measurements is an effective method for early prenatal diagnosis of sFGR. The combined indicator of AC discordance, EFW discordance, and the small fetal UA blood flow reaches highest diagnostic value.

Project description:IntroductionEarly-onset fetal growth restriction is a pregnancy complication often coinciding with abnormal Doppler flow in the umbilical artery. Absent or reversed end-diastolic flow in the umbilical artery is associated with adverse perinatal outcome. As the optimal management of this condition is unclear, the objective of this study was to analyze the time interval from admission to delivery of pregnancies with early-onset fetal growth restriction, while pursuing a policy of postponing delivery unless active management of labor would be required because of fetal distress or maternal condition. We also assessed short- and long-term perinatal outcome.Material and methodsIn this historical cohort study, all pregnant women with singleton pregnancies, admitted during 2004-2015 with early-onset fetal growth restriction were included. Pregnancies with absent or reversed end-diastolic flow (AREDF) were compared with pregnancies with a positive end-diastolic Doppler flow (PEDF). Time until delivery was determined and perinatal outcome was assessed for both groups.ResultsIn our study, 111 women were allocated to the PEDF group and 109 to the AREDF group. In the AREDF group, fetal distress was more often an indication for delivery, in comparison with the PEDF group (p = .004). Median time until delivery in patients admitted between 26 and 28 weeks' gestation was 6+5 weeks in the PEDF group and 1+4 weeks in the AREDF group (p = .001). No statistically significant difference was found between the Doppler groups in the composite adverse neonatal outcome, which includes at least one of the following outcomes: infant respiratory distress syndrome, sepsis, bronchopulmonary dysplasia, necrotizing enterocolitis, intraventricular hemorrhage >grade 2, periventricular leukomalacia and perinatal death (p = .63).ConclusionsIn this study, comprising pregnancies with early-onset fetal growth restriction, fetal distress was observed more frequently in the AREDF group with the consequence of delivery at an earlier stage of gestation, compared with the PEDF group. AREDF was not associated with increased perinatal morbidity and mortality compared with PEDF.

Project description:Fetal growth restriction (FGR) is associated with short- and long-term morbidity, often with fetal compromise in utero, evidenced by abnormal Doppler velocimetry of fetal vessels. Lipids are vital for growth and development, but metabolism in FGR pregnancy, where fetuses do not grow to full genetic potential, is poorly understood. We hypothesize that triglyceride concentrations are increased in placentas and that important complex lipids are reduced in cord plasma from pregnancies producing the smallest babies (birth weight < 5%) and correlate with ultrasound Dopplers. Dopplers (umbilical artery, UA; middle cerebral artery, MCA) were assessed longitudinally in pregnancies diagnosed with estimated fetal weight (EFW) < 10% at ≥29 weeks gestation. For a subset of enrolled women, placentas and cord blood were collected at delivery, fatty acids were extracted and targeted lipid class analysis (triglyceride, TG; phosphatidylcholine, PC; lysophosphatidylcholine, LPC; eicosanoid) performed by LCMS. For this sub-analysis, participants were categorized as FGR (Fenton birth weight, BW ≤ 5%) or SGA "controls" (Fenton BW > 5%). FGRs (n = 8) delivered 1 week earlier (p = 0.04), were 29% smaller (p = 0.002), and had 133% higher UA pulsatility index (PI, p = 0.02) than SGAs (n = 12). FGR plasma TG, free arachidonic acid (AA), and several eicosanoids were increased (p < 0.05); docosahexaenoic acid (DHA)-LPC was decreased (p < 0.01). Plasma TG correlated inversely with BW (p < 0.05). Plasma EET, non-esterified AA, and DHA correlated inversely with BW and directly with UA PI (p < 0.05). Placental DHA-PC and AA-PC correlated directly with MCA PI (p < 0.05). In fetuses initially referred for inadequate fetal growth (EFW < 10%), those with BW ≤ 5% demonstrated distinctly different cord plasma lipid profiles than those with BW > 5%, which correlated with Doppler PIs. This provides new insights into fetal lipidomic response to the FGR in utero environment. The impact of these changes on specific processes of growth and development (particularly fetal brain) have not been elucidated, but the relationship with Doppler PI may provide additional context for FGR surveillance, and a more targeted approach to nutritional management of these infants.

Project description:ObjectiveTo evaluate the relationship between Doppler and biometric ultrasound parameters measured at diagnosis and perinatal adverse outcome in a cohort of late-onset growth-restricted (FGR) fetuses.MethodsThis was a multicenter retrospective study of data obtained between 2014 and 2019 including non-anomalous singleton pregnancies complicated by late-onset FGR (≥ 32 weeks), which was defined either as abdominal circumference (AC) or estimated fetal weight (EFW) < 10th percentile for gestational age or as reduction of the longitudinal growth of AC by over 50 percentiles compared to ultrasound scan performed between 18 and 32 weeks of gestation. We evaluated the association between sonographic findings at diagnosis of FGR and composite adverse perinatal outcome (CAPO), defined as stillbirth or at least two of the following: obstetric intervention due to intrapartum fetal distress, neonatal acidemia, birth weight < 3rd percentile and transfer to the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU).ResultsOverall, 468 cases with complete biometric and umbilical, fetal middle cerebral and uterine artery (UtA) Doppler data were included, of which 53 (11.3%) had CAPO. On logistic regression analysis, only EFW percentile was associated independently with CAPO (P = 0.01) and NICU admission (P < 0.01), while the mean UtA pulsatility index (PI) multiples of the median (MoM) > 95th percentile at diagnosis was associated independently with obstetric intervention due to intrapartum fetal distress (P = 0.01). The model including baseline pregnancy characteristics and the EFW percentile was associated with an area under the receiver-operating-characteristics curve of 0.889 (95% CI, 0.813-0.966) for CAPO (P < 0.001). A cut-off value for EFW corresponding to the 3.95th percentile was found to discriminate between cases with and those without CAPO, yielding a sensitivity of 58.5% (95% CI, 44.1-71.9%), specificity of 69.6% (95% CI, 65.0-74.0%), positive predictive value of 19.8% (95% CI, 13.8-26.8%) and negative predictive value of 92.9% (95% CI, 89.5-95.5%).ConclusionsRetrospective data from a large cohort of late-onset FGR fetuses showed that EFW at diagnosis is the only sonographic parameter associated independently with the occurrence of CAPO, while mean UtA-PI MoM > 95th percentile at diagnosis is associated independently with intrapartum distress leading to obstetric intervention. © 2021 The Authors. Ultrasound in Obstetrics & Gynecology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of International Society of Ultrasound in Obstetrics and Gynecology.

Project description:BackgroundThis study had a threefold aim: to test the value of stakeholder involvement in HTA to reduce evidence gaps and interpret findings; and to assess a medical device by applying the EUnetHTA Core Model (CM) in South Africa and thus ultimately provide a first overview of evidence for potential widespread adoption of the technology in a primary health care (PHC) setting. Used in primary healthcare setting for obstetric use, the technology under assessment is a low-cost continuous wave Doppler ultrasound (DUS).MethodsThe scoping of the assessment was defined by involving policy makers in selecting the domains and corresponding questions relevant to the ultrasound and its use. Additionally, hospital managers were invited to respond to dichotomous questions on the criteria for procurement. To substantiate evidence obtained from an initial literature review, different stakeholders were identified and consulted. The evidence generated fromall steps was used to populate the high-ranked assessment elements of the CM.ResultsThe HTA on continuous-wave DUS incorporated the evidence on organizational, ethical, and social value of its use together with effectiveness, safety, and cost-effectiveness of the technology. The domains on "health problem" and "safety" had a higher rank than the rest of the nine domains. Unexplained fetal mortality is the largest single contributor to perinatal deaths in South Africa. Pregnant women in PHC setting were examined using a continuous-wave DUS, after their routine antenatal visit. The healthcare professionals interviewed, indicated the benefit in the use of continuous-wave DUS in the PHC setting and the need for training.ConclusionsCollection and generation of evidence based on the HTA CM and the chosen decision criteria provided a generalized but structured guidance on the methodology. Several questions were not applicable for the technology and the context of its use and elimination of those that are inappropriate for the African context, resulted in a pragmatic solution. Engaging and consulting local stakeholders was imperative to understand the context, reduce evidence gaps, and address the uncertainties in the evidence, ultimately paving the way for technology adoption. Given the ongoing studies and the evolving evidence base, the potential of this technology should be reassessed.