title: Assessment of cerebral circulation in normal fetuses by three-dimensional power Doppler ultrasonography.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To assess the three-dimensional power Doppler ultrasonography (3D power Doppler) vascular indices in the middle cerebral artery (MCA), anterior cerebral artery (ACA) and posterior cerebral artery (PCA) territories.
  
  
  METHODS
  A cross-sectional study was carried out on 111 normal pregnancies between 26 and 34 weeks. The MCA, ACA and PCA territories closest to the transducer were scanned and volumes were calculated by using the VOCAL (Virtual Organ Computer-aided Analysis) program. The 3D power Doppler indices--vascularization index (VI), flow index (FI) and vascularization-flow index (VFI) were calculated. Scatter graphs, Pearson correlation coefficients (r) and linear regression models were used.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Only the FI-MCA (r=0.38 and p<0.001), VFI-MCA (r=0.23 and p=0.016) and FI-PCA (r=0.191 and p=0.040) had a low correlation with gestational age. The other 3D power Doppler indices VI-MCA (r=0.153 and p=0.150), VI-ACA (r=0.105 and p=0.271), FI-ACA (r=0.154 and p=0.106), VFI-ACA (r=0.134 and p=0.161), VI-PCA (r=0.105 and p=0.270) and VFI-PCA (r=0.126 and p=0.180) showed no statistically significant correlation with gestational.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  It was observed a low correlation between gestational age and the FI-MCA, VFI-MCA and FI-PCA.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics, São Paulo Federal University (UNIFESP), São Paulo, SP, Brazil.
authors.forename: Hérbene José Figuinha
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Milani
authors.forename: Enoch Quinderé
authors.initials: EQ
authors.lastname: de Sá Barreto
authors.forename: Edward
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Araujo Júnior
authors.forename: Karina Krajden
authors.initials: KK
authors.lastname: Haratz
authors.forename: Liliam Cristine
authors.initials: LC
authors.lastname: Rolo
authors.forename: Luciano Marcondes Machado
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Nardozza
authors.forename: Antonio Fernandes
authors.initials: AF
authors.lastname: Moron
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002560:Cerebrovascular Circulation; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D005333:Fetus / Q000098:blood supply*; D005865:Gestational Age; D006801:Humans; D007090:Image Interpretation, Computer-Assisted; D021621:Imaging, Three-Dimensional / Q000379:methods*; D016014:Linear Models; D011247:Pregnancy; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D018608:Ultrasonography, Doppler / Q000379:methods*; D016216:Ultrasonography, Prenatal