Role of doppler ultrasonography in prediction of adverse perinatal outcome in intrauterine growth retardation (IUGR)

ABSTRACT

Introduction: A Doppler ultrasound is a noninvasive test that can be used to estimate the blood flow through the blood vessels by bouncing high-frequency sound waves (ultrasound) off circulating red blood cells. Objective of current study was to determine and compare accuracy of various Doppler parameters for perinatal outcome - Umbilical artery (UA), middle cerebral artery (MCA), and ductus venosus (DV) for predicting adverse perinatal outcome in patients of intrauterine growth retardation. Materials and methods: A total of 172 singleton pregnancies between 33 to 36 weeks of gestation complicated by intrauterine growth restriction were prospectively examined with Doppler ultrasound of the umbilical artery, middle cerebral artery and ductus venosus. Patients kept under surveillance till confinement. According to increasing severity of Doppler indices categorized the cases into six grades from grade 0 to grade 5.Duration of this study was two years, from December 2019 to November 2021. Results: Out of 172 cases, 146 were live born and 26 were neonatal death. There were 7 cases of intrauterine death of fetuses and 5 were still born. Out of the live born 27 had increased perinatal morbidity like poor APGAR score, development of necrotizing enterocolitis, hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy, meconium aspiration syndrome, hyperbilirubinemia, and prolonged admission in neonatal care unit for reasons like sepsis / birth asphyxia. Conclusion: Absent end diastolic flow (EDF) / reversal in umbilical artery had high positive predictive value in predicting adverse fetal outcome. Ductus venosus changes seem to be an ominous sign of a severely compromised fetus with poor perinatal outcome. Doppler investigation of the MCA, UA and DV plays an important role in monitoring the compromised fetuses and helps to determine the optimal time of delivery.