Umbilical and uterine flow velocity waveforms in pregnancies complicated by major fetal anomalies

Israel Meizner, Miriam Katz, Eitan Lunenfeld, Vaclav Insler

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

9 Scopus citations

Abstract

A continuous wave Doppler unit was used to obtain umbilical and uterine artery flow velocity waveforms in pregnancies complicated by a major fetal abnormality. A total of 139 examinations were performed on 32 women between 26 to 41 weeks' gestation, and the records were reviewed to determine the changes associated with fetal malformation. The systolic/diastolic (A/B) ratio was used as an index of blood flow resistance in the umbilical artery and the systolic minus diastolic divided by systolic (A–B)/A for the branches of the uterine artery. Seventeen out of 32 patients showed high systolic/diastolic ratio in waveforms taken from the umbilical artery. In 30 out of 32 patients the uterine artery waveform was normal (in two patients the results were equivocal). It appears that a fetal mechanism may determine the changes in the umbilical placental circulation resulting in an umbilical artery pattern of high flow resistance in more than half of the patients with congenital anomalies.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)491-496
Number of pages6
JournalPrenatal Diagnosis
Volume7
Issue number7
DOIs
StatePublished - 1 Jan 1987

Keywords

  • Fetal abnormality
  • Fetal blood flow
  • Umbilical and uterine artery flow
  • Velocity wave forms

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Obstetrics and Gynecology
  • Genetics(clinical)

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