[Amniotic fluid volume associated with fetal anomalies diagnosed in a reference center in the Brazilian Northeast].
OBJECTIVE
to determine factors associated to amniotic fluid volume and frequencies of fetal anomalies, in a reference center in Pernambuco.


METHODS
a transversal study performed in high-risk pregnant women submitted to obstetrical morphological ultrasound, from March 2002 to March 2006, at an institution from Recife, Pernambuco, Brasil. The intrauterine diagnosis was confirmed after birth. Sociodemographic and obstetrical characteristics, amniotic liquid volume and presence of fetal anomalies were the variables studied. Fisher's exact, chi2, and Student's t tests, at a significance level of 5% were applied to verify the correlation among the variables. Prevalence rate and confidence interval at 95% were calculated. Multiple logistic regression analysis was performed at a significance level of 5%.


RESULTS
Two hundred and fifty-seven pregnant women (56.2%) with congenital anomalies and 200 (43.8%) without anomalies, confirmed in the postnatal, were included in the study. The average of maternal ages and gestation periods were 24.8+/-6.5 years and 35.9+/-3.7 weeks, respectively. The fetal anomalies were discovered in the central nervous system (50.6%) and genitourinary tract (23.0%). The presence of congenital anomalies were significantly linked with reduced liquid/oligohydramnios (p=0.0002) and increased liquid/polyhydramnios (p<0.0001). Intrauterine mortality was more frequent in the group with anomalies, as compared to the healthy fetuses (10.5 versus 2.5%; p<0.01).


CONCLUSIONS
The rate of congenital anomalies in the high-risk pregnant women group was 56.2%. Most of the central nervous system malformations were diagnosed intrauterus. Changes in the amniotic fluid were the factors more strongly associated with congenital anomalies.
Noronha Neto
Carlos
C
Instituto de Medicina Integral Professor Fernando Figueira - Recife (PE), Brasil. noronhacarlos@hotmail.com
Souza
Alex Sandro Rolland
AS
Moraes Filho
Olímpio Barbosa
OB
Noronha
Adriana Mota Bione
AM
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000653:Amniotic Fluid; D001938:Brazil; D000013:Congenital Abnormalities / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000453:epidemiology; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D005333:Fetus / Q000002:abnormalities*; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008875:Middle Aged; D011247:Pregnancy; D012307:Risk Factors; D016216:Ultrasonography, Prenatal; D055815:Young Adult