• A O Nnamani, C U Ibewuike, P C Okere, and E N Obikili.
• Department of Radiation Medicine, Faculty of Medical Sciences, College of Medicine, University of Nigeria Ituku-Ozalla Campus, Enugu, Nigeria.
• Niger J Clin Pract. 2021 Dec 1; 24 (12): 1793-1799.

BackgroundIntrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) is an important cause of perinatal morbidity and mortality, the prevalence of which is six times higher in developing countries. The sequelae of IUGR extend into adulthood with higher risk of neurodegenerative diseases for the patients. Umbilical artery (UA) Doppler is an affordable and noninvasive tool for predicting perinatal outcome in IUGR pregnancies.AimsThe objective of this study is to compare the predictive ability of UA Doppler ultrasonography in discriminating normal from growth-restricted pregnancies and to find out if there is any relationship between antenatal Doppler indices and perinatal outcomes.Patients And MethodsThis is a cross-sectional study including 100 normal and 100 IUGR-suspected pregnancies, respectively. Each participant had a third trimester UA Doppler scan. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 18.0 (PASW Statistics for Windows, Version 18.0, Chicago: SPSS Inc.). Means were compared using Student's t-test and ANOVA. Tests of relationship and prediction were done using linear regression analysis and receiver operating characteristics. P ≤ 0.05 was considered statistically significant.ResultsAs pregnancy advanced, the mean values of UA Doppler indices decreased in normal and IUGR fetuses; however, they were significantly higher in the latter. UA systolic/diastolic (S/D) ratio showed the highest sensitivity (0.80) and specificity (0.91) for predicting IUGR compared to PI and RI. Cutoff values for PI, RI, and S/D ratio were 0.93, 0.67, and 2.93, respectively.ConclusionIUGR fetuses had higher UA flow velocimetric indices compared with normal fetuses. UA Doppler study is highly sensitive in the prediction of IUGR.

19 keywords...

hide…