Incidence of congenital complications related to COVID-19 infection during pregnancy.

PURPOSE: Infection with COVID-19 during pregnancy has been associated with a hypercoagulable state. It is unknown if maternal COVID-19 infection results in congenital anomalies secondary to intrauterine vascular accidents. This study sought to determine if the rate of in-utero vascular complications (intestinal atresia and limb abnormalities) that may be attributable to the hypercoagulable states associated with COVID-19 and pregnancy increased after the onset of the pandemic. METHODS: Pregnancy, neonatal, and congenital defect data from a single academic medical center and the partner's children's hospital were collected and compared to the period prior to onset of the pandemic. A subanalysis including pregnant woman 18 years or greater with documented COVID-19 infection during gestation between March 2020-2021 was performed. RESULTS: Rates of intestinal atresia did not differ prior to or after the onset of the pandemic (3.78% vs 7.23%, p = 0.21) nor did rates of limb deficiency disorders (4.41% vs 9.65%, p = 0.09). On subanalysis, there were 194 women with COVID-19 infection included in analysis: 135 (69.6%) were positive during delivery admission and 59 (30.4%) were positive earlier in their pregnancy. There was one infant born with intestinal atresia. CONCLUSION: We report a low incidence of congenital anomalies in infants born to mothers with COVID-19 infection. It remains unclear if the impact of COVID-19 on the coagulative state augments the normal pro-thrombotic state of pregnancy; ongoing surveillance is warranted.

Low-dose aspirin for pre-eclampsia prevention in twins with elevated human chorionic gonadotropin.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of the study is to evaluate low-dose aspirin (LDA) for pre-eclampsia prevention in twin gestations with elevated maternal serum human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG). STUDY DESIGN: Secondary analysis of the Maternal-Fetal Medicine Units High-Risk Aspirin trial for pre-eclampsia prevention. A threshold hCG level for predicting pre-eclampsia was identified in placebo-randomized patients. Pre-eclampsia incidence and time of onset were compared between treatment groups, overall and by hCG threshold category. RESULTS: Pre-eclampsia incidence was lower with LDA than with placebo (6% vs 16%, OR 0.32, 95% CI 0.12 to 0.82). An hCG threshold of 29.96 IU ml(-1) best predicted pre-eclampsia. In patients with hCG <29.96 IU ml(-1), the differences in pre-eclampsia incidence or time of onset were not significant. In patients with hCG >29.96 IU ml(-1), LDA was associated with lower pre-eclampsia incidence than placebo (6% vs 23%, OR 0.21, 95% CI 0.06 to 0.79) and delayed onset. CONCLUSION: Twin gestations with elevated hCG levels may benefit from LDA for pre-eclampsia prevention.

Fetal imaging prompts maternal diagnosis: autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease.

Autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD) is a common inherited disorder. Ultrasound (US) findings can include enlarged echogenic kidneys in utero and cysts in multiple organs in adults. Though a highly penetrant disease, due to varied clinical expression and the typical late onset of symptoms, reproductive-aged women may not know their carrier status. We present two cases in which fetal US findings suggested ADPKD and additional evaluation identified likely maternal ADPKD as well.