Document Type : Research Article
Abstract
Objective: Uterine artery Doppler flow assessment during early pregnancy can help in the prediction of pre-eclampsia. The present study aimed to assess the role of uterine artery Doppler ultrasound in early prediction of pre-eclampsia at 13-16 weeks of gestation.
Methodology: This observational study included 80 antenatal women, aged 16-35 years, with 13-16 weeks of gestational age with singleton pregnancy, from December 2017 - June 2019. Demographic data, medical history was collected. Doppler assessment of the uterine arteries was performed at 13-16, 24-26 weeks of gestation to record uterine artery diastolic notch (UADN) and uterine artery Doppler indices, viz, resistance index (RI) and pulsatility index (PI). Pregnancy events, delivery and neonatal outcome were noted during follow up. Statistical analysis was performed by using R software (Version 3.6.0).
Results: Prevalence rate of pre-eclampsia was 12.5%. At 12-16 weeks, UADN was seen in 35% cases with mean RI, PI of 0.62 and 0.96. At 24-26 weeks, it was noted in 15% of the study cases (RI: 0.53 and PI: 0.79). A significant (P<0.05) association was observed between UADN at 24-26 weeks and development of pre-eclampsia. At 13-16 weeks gestation, the specificity and positive predictive value (PPV) for UADN were 70.49 and 35.7%, respectively; whereas when UADN and RI were considered together, the specificity and PPV increased to 100%.
Conclusion: The uterine artery Doppler ultrasound effectively predicted the development of pre-eclampsia during early pregnancy (13 to 16 weeks gestation) screening.
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