Affiliation:
1. Department of Medical Genetics National Taiwan University Hospital Taipei Taiwan
2. Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology National Taiwan University Hospital Taipei Taiwan
3. Department of Internal Medicine National Taiwan University Hospital Taipei Taiwan
4. Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology The Chinese University of Hong Kong Hong Kong SAR
Abstract
ABSTRACTObjectiveSmall‐for‐gestational‐age (SGA) neonates are at increased risk of perinatal mortality and morbidity. We aimed to investigate the performance of uterine artery pulsatility index (UtA‐PI) at 19–24 weeks' gestation to predict the delivery of a SGA neonate in a Chinese population.MethodsThis was a retrospective cohort study using data obtained between January 2010 and June 2018. Doppler ultrasonography was performed at 19–24 weeks' gestation. SGA was defined as birth weight below the 10th centile according to the INTERGROWTH‐21st fetal growth standards. The performance of UtA‐PI to predict the delivery of a SGA neonate was assessed using receiver‐operating‐characteristics (ROC)‐curve analysis.ResultsWe included 6964 singleton pregnancies, of which 748 (11%) delivered a SGA neonate, including 115 (15%) women with preterm delivery. Increased UtA‐PI was associated with an elevated risk of SGA, both in neonates delivered at or after 37 weeks' gestation (term SGA) and those delivered before 37 weeks (preterm SGA). The areas under the ROC curve (AUCs) for UtA‐PI were 64.4% (95% CI, 61.5–67.3%) and 75.8% (95% CI, 69.3–82.3%) for term and preterm SGA, respectively. The performance of combined screening by maternal demographic/clinical characteristics and estimated fetal weight in the detection of term and preterm SGA was improved significantly by the addition of UtA‐PI, although the increase in AUC was modest (2.4% for term SGA and 4.9% for preterm SGA).ConclusionsThis is the first Chinese study to evaluate the role of UtA‐PI at 19–24 weeks' gestation in the prediction of the delivery of a neonate with SGA. The addition of UtA‐PI to traditional risk factors improved the screening performance for SGA, and this improvement was greater in predicting preterm SGA compared with term SGA. © 2023 International Society of Ultrasound in Obstetrics and Gynecology.
Funder
National Science and Technology Council
Subject
Obstetrics and Gynecology,Radiology, Nuclear Medicine and imaging,Reproductive Medicine,General Medicine,Radiological and Ultrasound Technology