title: Comparison of two different sites of measurement for transabdominal uterine artery Doppler velocimetry at 11-13 weeks.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To compare the feasibility of two transabdominal approaches for performing first-trimester uterine artery (UtA) Doppler and to evaluate the correlation with pulsatility index (PI) in the second trimester.
  
  
  METHODS
  This was a prospective longitudinal Doppler study of the uterine arteries at 11-13 and 21-22 weeks' gestation. Transabdominal ultrasound and color Doppler were used to measure the UtA-PI of the ascending branch of the uterine artery at the level of the internal cervical os (Site A) and at the level of the apparent crossover with the external iliac artery (Site B) at 11-13 weeks, and at Site B only at 21-22 weeks. In all cases the measured left and right PI were converted to a multiple of the median (MoM) for gestational age, and the intercorrelation between the measurements at different sites and gestational ages was calculated using non-parametric analysis (Spearman's rank correlation).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Satisfactory measurements were obtained at 11-13 weeks from both uterine arteries in all 81 women at Site A and in 50 (62%; 95% CI, 50-72%) at Site B (P < 0.01). Measurements were obtained at Site B at 21-22 weeks in all cases. In the 50 cases with measurements from both sites at 11-13 weeks, the correlation of PI-MoMs between Sites A and B at 11-13 weeks was only moderate (ρ = 0.61). The correlation between first-trimester UtA-PI MoMs at Site A and second-trimester UtA-PI MoMs was stronger than that between first-trimester UtA-PI MoMs at Site B and second-trimester UtA-PI MoMs (ρ = 0.73 vs ρ = 0.47, P < 0.01).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Evaluation of UtA-PI at 11-13 weeks can be achieved at the level of the internal cervical os in a greater proportion of women than at the level of the apparent crossover with the external iliac vessels, and the measurements obtained correlate better with second-trimester UtA-PI.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Faculty of Medicine, Université Laval, Quebec City, QC, Canada.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Lefebvre
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Demers
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Bujold
authors.forename: K H
authors.initials: KH
authors.lastname: Nicolaides
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Girard
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Brassard
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Audibert
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D005240:Feasibility Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D011247:Pregnancy; D011261:Pregnancy Trimester, First; D011262:Pregnancy Trimester, Second; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011673:Pulsatile Flow / Q000502:physiology*; D018615:Ultrasonography, Doppler, Color / Q000379:methods*; D055988:Uterine Artery / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*