title: Placental volume and vascular flow assessed by 3D power Doppler and adverse pregnancy outcomes.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To estimate the utility of first-trimester 3D-placental volume and vascular flow indices in the prediction of adverse pregnancy outcomes.
  
  
  METHODS
  A prospective cohort study including women with singleton pregnancies seen between 11 and 14 weeks as part of a screening program for aneuploidy. Placental volume and vascularization indices were obtained using 3D power Doppler imaging and the VOCAL technique. Placental volume (PV), Vascularization Index (VI), Flow Index (FI) and Vascularization Flow Index (VFI) were calculated. The adverse pregnancy outcomes investigated include preeclampsia (PE), gestational hypertension (GH) and small for gestational age (SGA). The predictive ability of each variable was evaluated using receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) curves.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of 388 women included, PE was seen in 30 (7.7%), GH in 37 (9.0%) and SGA in 31 (8.0%). Placental volume was not significantly different between the pregnancies with adverse outcomes and those without. The mean values of the VI and VFI were significantly lower in the pregnancies that developed PE but not in GH or SGA. The area under the ROC curve for the prediction of PE was 0.71, 0.69 and 0.70 for VI, FI and VFI, respectively.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The study confirms lower 3D power Doppler vascular flow indices in pregnancies that develop PE. The discriminatory ability of using these indices alone for predicting PE appears modest.
authors.affiliation: Division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine and Ultrasound, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA. odiboa@wudosis.wustl.edu
authors.forename: A O
authors.initials: AO
authors.lastname: Odibo
authors.forename: K R
authors.initials: KR
authors.lastname: Goetzinger
authors.forename: K M
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Huster
authors.forename: J K
authors.initials: JK
authors.lastname: Christiansen
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Odibo
authors.forename: M G
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Tuuli
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D019540:Area Under Curve; D015331:Cohort Studies; D016640:Diabetes, Gestational / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000209:etiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D010920:Placenta / Q000098:blood supply* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D011225:Pre-Eclampsia / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000209:etiology*; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D011247:Pregnancy; D011261:Pregnancy Trimester, First; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012372:ROC Curve; D018608:Ultrasonography, Doppler / Q000379:methods; D016216:Ultrasonography, Prenatal / Q000379:methods