scholarly journals The ability of continuous-wave Doppler ultrasound to detect fetal growth restriction

PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (8) ◽  
pp. e0255960
Author(s):  
Ute Feucht ◽  
Helen Mulol ◽  
Valerie Vannevel ◽  
Robert Pattinson

Background Fetal growth restriction (FGR), defined as a fetus failing to reach its genetic growth potential, remains poorly diagnosed antenatally. This study aimed to assess the ability of continuous-wave Doppler ultrasound of the umbilical artery (CWD-UmA) to detect FGR in healthy women with low-risk pregnancies. Methods and findings This prospective longitudinal descriptive cohort study enrolled infants born to low-risk mothers who were screened with CWD-UmA between 28–34 weeks’ gestation; the resistance index (RI) was classified as normal or abnormal. Infants were assessed at 6, 10, 14 weeks, and 6 months postnatally for anthropometric indicators and body composition using the deuterium dilution method to assess fat-free mass (FFM). Neonates in the abnormal RI group were compared with those in the normal RI group, and neonates classified as small-for-gestational age (SGA) were compared with appropriate-for-gestational age (AGA) neonates. Eighty-one term infants were included. Only 6 of 26 infants (23.1%) with an abnormal RI value would have been classified as SGA. The abnormal RI group had significantly reduced mean FFM and FFM-for-age Z-scores at 6, 10, 14 weeks, and 6 months compared with the normal RI group (P<0.015). The SGA group’s FFM did not show this consistent trend when compared to AGA FFM, being significantly different only at 6 months (P = 0.039). The main limitation of the study was the small sample size of the infant follow-up. Conclusions Abnormal RI obtained from CWD-UmA is able to detect FGR and is considered a useful addition to classifying the neonate only by SGA or AGA at birth.

2018 ◽  
pp. 184-195
Author(s):  
Minh Son Pham ◽  
Vu Quoc Huy Nguyen ◽  
Dinh Vinh Tran

Small for gestational age (SGA) and fetal growth restriction (FGR) is difficult to define exactly. In this pregnancy condition, the fetus does not reach its biological growth potential as a consequence of impaired placental function, which may be because of a variety of factors. Fetuses with FGR are at risk for perinatal morbidity and mortality, and poor long-term health outcomes, such as impaired neurological and cognitive development, and cardiovascular and endocrine diseases in adulthood. At present no gold standard for the diagnosis of SGA/FGR exists. The first aim of this review is to: summarize areas of consensus and controversy between recently published national guidelines on small for gestational age or fetal growth restriction; highlight any recent evidence that should be incorporated into existing guidelines. Another aim to summary a number of interventions which are being developed or coming through to clinical trial in an attempt to improve fetal growth in placental insufficiency. Key words: fetal growth restriction (FGR), Small for gestational age (SGA)


2021 ◽  
Vol 224 (2) ◽  
pp. S186
Author(s):  
Odessa P. Hamidi ◽  
Camille Driver ◽  
Tamara Stampalija ◽  
Sarah Martinez ◽  
Diana Gumina ◽  
...  

BMJ Open ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (12) ◽  
pp. e022743 ◽  
Author(s):  
Debora Farias Batista Leite ◽  
Aude-Claire Morillon ◽  
Elias F Melo Júnior ◽  
Renato T Souza ◽  
Ali S Khashan ◽  
...  

IntroductionFetal growth restriction (FGR) is a relevant research and clinical concern since it is related to higher risks of adverse outcomes at any period of life. Current predictive tools in pregnancy (clinical factors, ultrasound scan, placenta-related biomarkers) fail to identify the true growth-restricted fetus. However, technologies based on metabolomics have generated interesting findings and seem promising. In this systematic review, we will address diagnostic accuracy of metabolomics analyses in predicting FGR.Methods and analysisOur primary outcome is small for gestational age infant, as a surrogate for FGR, defined as birth weight below the 10th centile by customised or population-based curves for gestational age. A detailed systematic literature search will be carried in electronic databases and conference abstracts, using the keywords ‘fetal growth retardation’, ‘metabolomics’, ‘pregnancy’ and ‘screening’ (and their variations). We will include original peer-reviewed articles published from 1998 to 2018, involving pregnancies of fetuses without congenital malformations; sample collection must have been performed before clinical recognition of growth impairment. If additional information is required, authors will be contacted. Reviews, case reports, cross-sectional studies, non-human research and commentaries papers will be excluded. Sample characteristics and the diagnostic accuracy data will be retrieved and analysed. If data allows, we will perform a meta-analysis.Ethics and disseminationAs this is a systematic review, no ethical approval is necessary. This protocol will be publicised in our institutional websites and results will be submitted for publication in a peer-reviewed journal.PROSPERO registration numberCRD42018089985.


2021 ◽  
Vol 74 (2) ◽  
pp. 213-219
Author(s):  
Varvara A. Berezhna ◽  
Tetiana V. Mamontova ◽  
Antonina M. Gromova

The aim: To elucidate the possible involvement of M1 and M2 macrophages in the placentas of women, whose pregnancies were complicated by fetal growth restriction (FGR) and resulted in term births after 37 weeks of gestation and preterm births up to 37 weeks of gestation. Materials and methods: CD68+ and CD163+ macrophages were studied by immunohistochemical method, placental morphology in the placentas of 16 women whose pregnancies were complicated by FGR and resulted in term births at a gestational age after 37 weeks (1-st group, n = 7) or resulted in preterm births at a gestational age up to 37 weeks (2-nd group, n = 9). The control group consisted of 10 placentas of women with physiological pregnancies and births. Results: Women 2-nd group showed significantly low weight of the placenta, a short gestation period at the time of delivery, and a prolonged labor period than women of the control group (p <0.001; p <0.001; p <0.05, respectively). The level of CD68+ and CD163+ macrophages in the placentas of women 2-nd group was significantly higher than in woman 1-st group (p <0.001, p <0.001, respectively). A significant correlation was found between the expression level of CD68+ monocytes in the intervillous space and the weight of a newborn (r = – 0.765; p = 0.016) in women 2-nd group. Conclusions: These studies suggest that in the placentas of women whose pregnancies were complicated by FGR and resulted in preterm births, the increased activation of CD68+ macrophages of the pro-inflammatory pool may be associated with disorders of the vascular and stromal component of the villous chorion with the development of involutive and dystrophic changes. In general, this fact probably determines the progress of chronic placental insufficiency and aggravates the development of fetal growth restriction.


2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Salvatore Tagliaferri ◽  
Pasquale Cepparulo ◽  
Antonio Vinciguerra ◽  
Marta Campanile ◽  
Giuseppina Esposito ◽  
...  

Current tests available to diagnose fetal hypoxia in-utero lack sensitivity thus failing to identify many fetuses at risk. Emerging evidence suggests that microRNAs derived from the placenta circulate in the maternal blood during pregnancy and may be used as non-invasive biomarkers for pregnancy complications. With the intent to identify putative markers of fetal growth restriction (FGR) and new therapeutic druggable targets, we examined, in maternal blood samples, the expression of a group of microRNAs, known to be regulated by hypoxia. The expression of microRNAs was evaluated in maternal plasma samples collected from (1) women carrying a preterm FGR fetus (FGR group) or (2) women with an appropriately grown fetus matched at the same gestational age (Control group). To discriminate between early- and late-onset FGR, the study population was divided into two subgroups according to the gestational age at delivery. Four microRNAs were identified as possible candidates for the diagnosis of FGR: miR-16-5p, miR-103-3p, miR-107-3p, and miR-27b-3p. All four selected miRNAs, measured by RT-PCR, resulted upregulated in FGR blood samples before the 32nd week of gestation. By contrast, miRNA103-3p and miRNA107-3p, analyzed between the 32nd and 37th week of gestation, showed lower expression in the FGR group compared to aged matched controls. Our results showed that measurement of miRNAs in maternal blood may form the basis for a future diagnostic test to determine the degree of fetal hypoxia in FGR, thus allowing the start of appropriate therapeutic interventions to alleviate the burden of this disease.


2017 ◽  
Vol 8 (5) ◽  
pp. 550-555 ◽  
Author(s):  
H. Dickinson ◽  
S. Ellery ◽  
M. Davies-Tuck ◽  
M. Tolcos ◽  
I. Nitsos ◽  
...  

Intrauterine or fetal growth restriction (IUGR) is a major complication of pregnancy and leads to significant perinatal morbidities and mortality. Typically, induction of IUGR in animals involves the complete occlusion or ablation of vessels to the uterus or placenta, acutely impairing blood flow and fetal growth, usually with high fetal loss. We aimed to produce a model of reduced fetal growth in the spiny mouse with minimal fetal loss. At 27 days gestational age (term is 38–39 days), a piece of silastic tubing was placed around the left uterine artery to prevent the further increase of uterine blood flow with advancing gestation to induce IUGR (occluded). Controls were generated from sham surgeries without placement of the tubing. Dams were humanely euthanized at 37 days gestational age and all fetuses and placentas were weighed and collected. Of the 17 dams that underwent surgery, 15 carried their pregnancies to 37 days gestational age and 95% of fetuses survived to this time. The difference in fetal body weight between occluded and control was ~21% for fetuses in the left uterus side: there were no differences for fetuses in the right uterus side. Offspring from the occluded group had significantly lower brain, liver, lung, kidney and carcass weights compared with shams. Preventing the gestation-related increase of uterine blood flow induced significant growth restriction in the fetal spiny mouse, with minimal fetal loss. This technique could be readily adapted for other small animal.


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