UMBILICAL ARTERY DOPPLER INDICES IN IUGR PREGNANCIES

Background and objectives: Doppler velocimetry studies of placental and fetal circulation can provide and important information regarding fetal wellbeing providing an opportunity to improve fetal outcome. The present cross sectional study was undertaken to evaluate the role of umbilical artery blood velocity waveforms, Systolic/Diastolic ratio (S/D), Pulsatility Index (PI), Resistance Index (RI) as predictor of perinatal outcome in intrauterine growth retardation (IUGR) pregnancies in IInd and IIIrd trimester. Methods: In the study group, 50 cases of IUGR were studied in IInd and IIIrd trimester. They were first subjected to ultrasonography biometry and then umbilical artery Doppler sonography. Results: In both control and study group the values of S/D ratio, PI and RI in umbilical artery decline during IInd to IIIrd trimester. The decline was less and the values were high in the study group as compared to the control group. Thus the present study predicts that; a) S/D ratio greater than 3 and RI greater than 0.7 after 26th weeks of pregnancy was found to be abnormal. b) Absent End Diastolic Velocity (AEDV) & Reverse End Diastolic Velocity (REDV) were predictive of poor fetal outcome. Interpretation and conclusion: The umbilical artery indices were valuable for predicting the outcome of IUGR pregnancies.