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Uterine Artery Doppler Flow Indices in Pregnant Women During the 11 Weeks + 0 Days and 13 Weeks + 6 Days Gestational Ages: a Study of 168 Patients
Voicu DASCAU, Gheorghe FURAU, Cristian FURAU, Cristina ONEL, Casiana STANESCU, Liliana TATARU, Cristina GHIB-PARA, Cristina POPESCU, Luminita PILAT and Maria PUSCHITA
ABSTRACT
Objectives: Uterine artery Doppler flow studies during the 11th and 14th week of pregnancy are important in the prediction of preeclampsia and intrauterine growth restriction in pregnant women as well as in the prevention thereof.
Methods: Our study on Doppler flow indices of the uterine arteries involved 168 patients examined in our clinic, with pregnancies ranging from 11 weeks + 0 days to 13 weeks + 6 days.
Results: There were 72 patients from 11 weeks + 0 days to 11 weeks + 6 days (42.86%), 43 from 12 weeks + 0 days to 12 weeks + 6 days (25.60%), and 53 from 13 weeks + 0 days to 13 weeks + 6 days (31.55%). The mean values of the Doppler indices were PI 1.75±0.79, 1.88± 0.81, 1.71±0.81, and 1.58±0.72 and RI 0.72±0.14, 0.75±0.14, 0.71±0.14, and 0.70±0.14 for the entire group and for the three intervals, respectively. There were 71 (42.26%), 33 (19.64%, with 18 cases or 54.55% on the right side), and 64 (38.10%) patients with bilateral, unilateral and absent uterine artery notching, respectively. The mean Doppler indices for the three aforementioned groups were 2.18±0.79, 1.63±0.72, and 1.33±0.57 for the PI, and 0.79±0.11, 0.71±0.14, and 0.66±0.14 for the RI, respectively. The indices for the 175 arteries with and 161 without notching, taken separately, in all patients, as well as for the uterine arteries with and without notching in patients with unilateral notching only were 2.16±0.76, 1.30±0.54, 2.08±0.66, and 1.17±0.43 for the PI, and 0.79±0.11, 0.65±0.14, 0.79±0.11, and 0.63±0.12 for the RI, respectively
Conclusions: The mean uterine artery PI and RI decrease from 11 weeks + 0 days-11 weeks + 6 days to 13 weeks + 0 days-13 weeks + 6 days. They also decrease from patients with bilateral uterine artery notching to those without notching. The frequency of uterine artery notching decreases with increasing gestational age. Our results are similar to those in literature.
Keywords: pregnancy, gestational age, uterine artery notching, Doppler indices, pulsatility index, resistivity index, preeclampsia, intrauterine growth restriction