title: Fetal myocardial tissue Doppler indices before birth physiologically change in proportion to body size adjusted for gestational age in low-risk term pregnancies.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Few studies have investigated the relationship between myocardial tissue Doppler parameters and fetal size adjusted for gestational age and its trend has been controversial.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To investigate fetal cardiac function before birth using tissue Doppler imaging (TDI: indicated by the prime symbol (')) in low-risk term pregnancies by comparing the TDI parameters with gestational age-specific birth weight percentiles and z scores.
  
  
  METHODS
  Interventricular septum, left and right ventricular myocardial peak early diastolic (E'), late diastolic (A') and systolic (S') velocities, E'/A' ratios, myocardial performance index (MPI') and umbilical artery pulsatility index were measured within three days before birth in 76 low-risk term pregnancies, including appropriate for gestational age (AGA, n=50), small for gestational age (SGA, n=10), and large for gestational age (LGA, n=16) subjects.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Myocardial peak velocities showed higher in the LGA and lower in the SGA compared with the AGA group, and All S' positively correlated with birth weight (r=0.51-0.57). All z scores of S' demonstrated a positive correlation with birth weight z score (Spearman r=0.45-0.53). MPI' was significantly higher in the SGA and lower in the LGA compared with the AGA group. All MPI' negatively correlated with birth weight (r=-0.55 to -0.65). All z scores of MPI' showed a negative correlation with birth weight z score (Spearman r=-0.40 to -0.56).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Fetal myocardial peak velocities and MPI' physiologically changed in proportion to body size adjusted for gestational age in low-risk term pregnancies.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Hamamatsu University School of Medicine, Hamamatsu, Japan. sekii@hama-med.ac.jp
authors.forename: Katsuyuki
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Sekii
authors.forename: Takamichi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ishikawa
authors.forename: Tsutomu
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ogata
authors.forename: Hiroaki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Itoh
authors.forename: Satoru
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Iwashima
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D049628:Body Size / Q000502:physiology*; D001837:Body Weights and Measures / Q000592:standards; D015150:Echocardiography, Doppler; D005260:Female; D005333:Fetus / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000502:physiology; D005865:Gestational Age; D006305:Health Status Indicators; D006321:Heart / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000196:embryology / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D009206:Myocardium / Q000166:cytology; D036801:Parturition / Q000502:physiology; D011247:Pregnancy; D011263:Pregnancy Trimester, Third / Q000502:physiology; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D047929:Term Birth / Q000502:physiology; D016216:Ultrasonography, Prenatal