title: Correlation between first-trimester uterine artery Doppler indices and maternal serum free beta-human chorionic gonadotropin and pregnancy-associated plasma protein A.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To assess the correlation between first-trimester uterine artery Doppler measurements and maternal serum levels of free beta-hCG and pregnancy-associated plasma protein A (PAPP-A).
  
  
  METHODS
  Observational study.
  
  
  METHODS
  Teaching hospital.
  
  
  METHODS
  Four hundred thirty-three women at 10-14 weeks of gestation.
  
  
  METHODS
  Doppler ultrasound of the uterine arteries. Fluorimetric immunoassays for free beta-hCG and PAPP-A.
  
  
  METHODS
  Uterine artery mean resistance index (RI), pulsatility index (PI), and number of early diastolic notches. Maternal serum levels of free beta-hCG and PAPP-A.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There were 401 uncomplicated pregnancies. In this group, free beta-hCG and PAPP-A did not significantly correlate with uterine artery RI or PI (r values between -0.089 and 0.029, all nonsignificant). Free beta-hCG and PAPP-A levels did not significantly change with the number of notches. Uterine artery resistance and PAPP-A levels were independently correlated with birth weight.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Preliminary evidence suggests that first-trimester uterine artery Doppler measurements do not correlate with maternal serum levels of free beta-hCG and PAPP-A. This may allow their combined use in multivariate screening for pregnancy complications.
authors.affiliation: Unità Operativa Ostetricia e Ginecologia, Istituto G. Gaslini, Università di Genova, Genoa, Italy. fprefumo@sgul.ac.uk
authors.forename: Federico
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Prefumo
authors.forename: Silvana
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Canini
authors.forename: Valentina
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Casagrande
authors.forename: Daniela
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Pastorino
authors.forename: Pier Luigi
authors.initials: PL
authors.lastname: Venturini
authors.forename: Pierangela
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: De Biasio
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001158:Arteries / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D018997:Chorionic Gonadotropin, beta Subunit, Human / Q000097:blood*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D011247:Pregnancy; D011261:Pregnancy Trimester, First / Q000097:blood*; D011266:Pregnancy-Associated Plasma Protein-A / Q000032:analysis*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D013223:Statistics as Topic; D018615:Ultrasonography, Doppler, Color / Q000379:methods*; D014599:Uterus / Q000098:blood supply* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*
chemical_list: D018997:Chorionic Gonadotropin, beta Subunit, Human; D011266:Pregnancy-Associated Plasma Protein-A