Association of global cardiac sphericity index and neonatal outcomes of appropriate for gestational age fetuses, small for gestational age fetuses, and growth-restricted fetuses delivered at term in Dr. Jose Fabella Memorial Hospital: A prospective cohort study

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to evaluate and compare the global cardiac sphericity index (GCSI) of appropriate for gestational age (AGA) fetuses, small for gestational age (SGA) fetuses, and growth-restricted fetuses scanned at term in a government tertiary hospital, maternal high risk (MHR) and to determine the association between the GCSI of these three groups of fetuses and their neonatal outcomes. METHODOLOGY: The study prospectively evaluated and compared the GCSI of AGA, SGA, and growth-restricted fetuses. Pregnant women at term seen at the outpatient department and scanned at the MHR clinic then eventually delivered in the same hospital from March to May 2022 were included in this study. RESULTS: GCSIs were measured with 147 fetuses (106 AGA, 38 SGA, and 3 growth-restricted fetuses). The result indicated that the GCSI of AGA fetuses was higher than that of the SGA and growth-restricted fetuses. This study found that there is a significantly higher frequency of abnormal GSCI among SGA and growth-restricted fetuses. This study also found that there is no statistically significant correlation between the GCSI measurements of these three groups of fetuses and their neonatal outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: Abnormal GCSIs were found in fetuses with an estimated fetal weight <10th percentile (more specifically in growth-restricted fetuses than in those who are just SGA) as compared with AGA fetuses. However, the correlation between an abnormal GCSI in any of these three groups of fetuses and their neonatal outcomes needs further investigation.