Correlation between prenatal velocity waveforms in the aortic isthmus and neurodevelopmental outcome between the ages of 2 and 4 years.
OBJECTIVE
Experimental studies on fetal lambs have shown that during an increase in the resistance to placental flow the delivery of oxygen to the brain is preserved as long as net flow through the aortic isthmus is antegrade. Our purpose was to determine whether the same changes in aortic isthmus flow in human subjects have any impact on neurodevelopmental outcome.


METHODS
Forty-four fetuses were retrospectively included in this study on the basis of an abnormal Doppler velocity in the umbilical artery. Mean gestational age at delivery was 33.0 +/- 2.0 weeks and mean birth weight 1386 +/- 435 g. The neurodevelopmental condition was assessed between the ages of 2 and 4 years. The developmental score was analyzed in relation to the flow patterns in the fetal aortic isthmus, which were classified as follows: group A, net isthmic flow antegrade (defined as the ratio of the systolic antegrade to the diastolic retrograde velocity integrals) (n = 39); group B, net isthmic flow retrograde (n = 5).


RESULTS
Nonoptimal neurodevelopment was observed in 19 (49%) of 39 fetuses in group A and in all 5 fetuses (100%) in group B. This difference is significant and leads to a relative risk of 2.05 (95% confidence interval, 1.49-2.83) for neurodevelopmental deficit when predominantly retrograde flow is observed in the fetal aortic isthmus before birth.


CONCLUSIONS
Measuring the ratio of antegrade to retrograde velocity integrals in the aortic isthmus could help in the indirect assessment of cerebral oxygenation during placental circulatory insufficiency.
Department of Pediatrics, Ste-Justine Hospital, University of Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
J C
JC
Fouron
J
J
Gosselin
C
C
Amiel-Tison
C
C
Infante-Rivard
C
C
Fouron
A
A
Skoll
A
A
Veilleux
D001011:Aorta / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000196:embryology* / Q000502:physiology; D001724:Birth Weight; D001783:Blood Flow Velocity; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D005317:Fetal Growth Retardation; D005865:Gestational Age; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007234:Infant, Premature; D017078:Laser-Doppler Flowmetry; D008297:Male; D009420:Nervous System / Q000254:growth & development*; D009422:Nervous System Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology; D009460:Neurologic Examination; D011247:Pregnancy; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D014463:Ultrasonography; D014469:Umbilical Arteries