Doppler assessment of the intracerebral circulation of the fetus.
Fetal cerebral arteries have been explored during normal pregnancies (n = 40). The index of cerebral resistance (Rc) as defined by Pourcelot (Rc = (S-D)/S where S is the systolic amplitude and D is the diastolic amplitude) shows variations similar to the placental index (Rp). During normal pregnancy, the cerebral index is higher than the placental index and the cerebro-placental ratio (Rc/Rp) is greater than one. This preliminary study of the umbilical and cerebral circulation during 21 pathological pregnancies with hypertension seems to demonstrate that when fetal growth retardation is also present (n = 6) either or both of the indices Rc and Rp may be outside the normal range but the cerebro-placental ratio (CPR) is always less than one. However, a larger number of patients needs to be explored in order to evaluate the clinical usefulness of such an observation.
Arbeille
P
P
Unite INSERM 316, Faculte de Medecine, Tours, France.
Body
G
G
Fignon
A
A
Saliba
E
E
Tranquart
F
F
Pourcelot
L
L
D000328:Adult; D002560:Cerebrovascular Circulation; D003971:Diastole; D005260:Female; D005333:Fetus / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology; D010920:Placenta / Q000502:physiology; D011247:Pregnancy; D011249:Pregnancy Complications, Cardiovascular / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology; D011296:Prenatal Diagnosis; D012016:Reference Values; D014463:Ultrasonography; D014655:Vascular Resistance