Predictivity of cerebral / umbilical artery Doppler ratio in severe preeclampsia
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Date
1998
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Abstract
OBJECTIVE: In this study, we tried to determine the predictivity of cerebral / umbilical ratio with color Doppler ultrasound examination in severe preeclampsia, since velocities in umbilical artery decrease and the cerebral flow increases in chronic hypoxic conditions. STUDY DESIGN: Tventy-one patients with severe preeclampsia were examined and treated without knowing the Doppler results. Results were compared with those of 20 healthy pregnant women of similar gestationai ages. Two standart deviation below and above the mean of our control group was used as a cutoff value for consideration of abnormality. RESULTS: Mean resistance index values in the umbilical artery and middle cerebral artery were O,67±0,048 and 0,58±0,020 respectively. Diagnostic accuracy (true positives-true negative/total number of cases) for the cerebral/umbilical ratio was 85% compared with 76% for the middle cerebral and 82% for the umbilical artery. CONCLUSION: According to the results of our study, umbilical artery had a better prediction for the adverse perinatal outcome than the middle cerebral artery, but the ratio was the most useful determinator.