Doppler ultrasound of the maternal uterine arteries: disappearance of abnormal waveforms and relation to birthweight and pregnancy outcome

• Published in: Acta obstetricia et gynecologica Scandinavica Vol. 79; no. 8; pp. 631 - 634
• Main Authors: CAMPBELL, STUART, BLACK, REBECCA S., LEES, CHRISTOPH C., ARMSTRONG, VALERIE, PEACOCK, JANET L.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Copenhagen Munksgaard International Publishers 01.08.2000; Taylor & Francis
• Subjects: Adult; Biological and medical sciences; Birth Weight; birthweight; Diseases of mother, fetus and pregnancy; Doppler ultrasound; Female; Gestational Age; Gynecology. Andrology. Obstetrics; Humans; Medical sciences; pre eclampsia; Predictive Value of Tests; Pregnancy; Pregnancy Complications - diagnosis; Pregnancy Outcome; Pregnancy. Fetus. Placenta; Prospective Studies; Regional Blood Flow; Trophoblasts - cytology; Ultrasonography, Doppler; Ultrasonography, Prenatal; uterine artery; Uterus - blood supply; Uterus - diagnostic imaging; Sonography; Waveform; Human; Prognosis; Pregnancy disorders; Low birth weight; Risk analysis; Duplex ultrasonography; Uterine artery; Pregnancy toxemia; Prospective; Prenatal; Newborn diseases; Prematurity; Preeclampsia; Medical imagery; Female; Anomaly; Diagnosis
• ISSN: 0001-6349; 1600-0412
• DOI: 10.1034/j.1600-0412.2000.079008631.x

Background. To assess whether the gestation at which abnormal uterine artery waveforms disappear is related to birthweight and complications of pregnancy. Methods. A prospective study of outcome of pregnancy after a uterine artery Doppler screening program set in an inner city teaching hospital. One thousand five hundred and twenty‐four consecutive women attending the Obstetric Department for a routine anomaly scan at between 19 and 21 weeks gestation had maternal uterine arteries assessed using color wave Doppler. Those women in whom the flow was deemed abnormal were recalled for a further scan at 24–26 weeks gestation. The main outcome measures were birthweight, gestation at delivery and incidence of pre eclampsia. Results. The women in whom the uterine artery blood flow was normal at 20 weeks had babies with significantly higher mean birthweight than those who normalized between 20 and 24–26 weeks gestation (‘late normalizers’) after adjustment for confounding factors; gestational age, maternal height, parity, ethnic group and smoking (mean difference=173 g, 95% confidence intervals 42 to 303 g). Conclusions. The timing of trophoblast invasion, as reflected by abnormal uterine artery waveforms, may have an effect on birthweight.