title: Conflicting umbilical artery Doppler findings in fetuses with trisomy 21.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To assess differences between fetuses with isolated and non-isolated trisomy 21 in umbilical artery (UA) Doppler findings in the second and third trimester and to correlate those with placental histology.
  
  
  METHODS
  Retrospective analysis of UA pulsatility index (PI) in 281 fetuses with trisomy 21. Cases were divided into isolated trisomy 21 (group I, n = 148, 52.7 %) and non-isolated trisomy 21 (group II, n = 133, 47.3 %). UA measurements were evaluated in five different time periods (A-E; <20 + 0 to ≥ 35 + 0 weeks) and were assigned histopathology of the placenta.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In 118/281 (42 %) cases, UA measurement was abnormal. The frequency of PI values above the 95th percentile increased significantly with gestational age in both groups (period A 32.9 % vs. period E 63.6 %, p < 0.0001). There was neither a difference in abnormal UA PI values between isolated and non-isolated cases [37.8 % (56/148) vs. 46.6 % (62/133)] nor a correlation to placental findings.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Fetuses with trisomy 21 often present with elevated UA PI in the late second or third trimester, irrespective of small for gestational age growth, malformations or histopathological findings of impaired placentation.
authors: Department of Obstetrics and Prenatal Medicine, University Medical School Bonn, Sigmund-Freud-Str. 25, 53105, Bonn, Germany, anne.floeck@ukb.uni-bonn.de.
authors: A
authors: A
authors: Flöck
authors: I
authors: I
authors: Remig
authors: A
authors: A
authors: Müller
authors: J
authors: J
authors: Nadal
authors: C
authors: C
authors: Berg
authors: U
authors: U
authors: Gembruch
authors: Annegret
authors: A
authors: Geipel
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D004314:Down Syndrome / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D005260:Female; D005333:Fetus; D005865:Gestational Age; D006801:Humans; D011247:Pregnancy; D011263:Pregnancy Trimester, Third; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D016216:Ultrasonography, Prenatal; D014469:Umbilical Arteries / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*