Nuchal translucency thickness and fetal cardiac flow velocity in normal fetuses at 11-13 weeks of gestation.
OBJECTIVE
To investigate the relationship between nuchal translucency thickness and cardiac flow velocity in normal fetuses at 11-13 weeks of gestation.


METHODS
Eighteen normal pregnancies were prospectively studied with transvaginal sonography and pulsed and color Doppler ultrasound. Flow velocities at the fetal atrioventricular valves (mitral and tricuspid valve) and outflow tract levels (ascending aorta and pulmonary artery), and at the descending aorta were recorded. Nuchal translucency thickness was also measured.


RESULTS
Mitral peak velocity during early diastolic filling correlated with gestational age. Mitral peak velocities during early diastolic filling and atrial contraction, tricuspid peak velocity during early diastolic filling, ascending aorta peak velocity, and pulmonary artery peak velocity correlated well with nuchal translucency thickness. There was an inverse correlation between umbilical artery pulsatility index and gestational age.


CONCLUSIONS
These results suggest that the increase of nuchal translucency thickness in normal fetuses at 11-13 weeks of gestation may be the consequence of changes in fetal cardiac functions.
Department of Perinatology and Gynecology, Kagawa Medical University, Miki, Kagawa, Japan. toshi28@kms.ac.jp
Toshiyuki
T
Hata
Eisuke
E
Inubashiri
Kenji
K
Kanenishi
Masashi
M
Akiyama
Hirokazu
H
Tanaka
Atsuko
A
Shiota
Toshihiro
T
Yanagihara
Masayuki
M
Ohno
D000328:Adult; D001783:Blood Flow Velocity; D003326:Coronary Circulation / Q000502:physiology; D018568:Crown-Rump Length; D005314:Embryonic and Fetal Development / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D005318:Fetal Heart / Q000196:embryology* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D005865:Gestational Age; D006801:Humans; D016014:Linear Models; D009333:Neck / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D011247:Pregnancy; D011261:Pregnancy Trimester, First; D011336:Probability; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011673:Pulsatile Flow; D012016:Reference Values; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D018615:Ultrasonography, Doppler, Color / Q000379:methods; D016216:Ultrasonography, Prenatal