Prediction of fetal growth restriction and small for gestational age by ultrasound cardiac parameters.

OBJECTIVE: Prediction of fetal growth restriction (FGR) and small of gestational age (SGA) infants by using various ultrasound cardiac parameters in a logistic regression model. METHODS: In this retrospective study we obtained standardized ultrasound images of 357 fetuses between the 20th and 39th week of gestation, 99 of these fetuses were between the 3rd and 10th growth percentile, 61 smaller than 3rd percentile and 197- appropriate for gestational age over the 10th percentile (control group). Several cardiac parameters were studied. The cardiothoracic ratio and sphericity of the ventricles was calculated. A binary logistic regression model was developed for prediction of growth restriction using the cardiac and biometric parameters. RESULTS: There were noticeable differences between the control and study group in the sphericity of the right ventricle (p = 0.000), left and right longitudinal ventricle length (pright = 0.000, pleft = 0.000), left ventricle transverse length (p = 0.000), heart diameter (p = 0.002), heart circumference (p = 0.000), heart area (p = 0.000), and thoracic diameter limited by the ribs (p = 0.002). There was no difference of the cardiothoracic ratio between groups. The logistic regression model achieved a prediction rate of 79.4 % with a sensitivity of 74.5 % and specificity of 83.2 %. CONCLUSION: The heart of growth restricted infants is characterized by a more globular right ventricle, shorter ventricle length and smaller thorax diameter. These parameters could improve prediction of FGR and SGA.

Fetal adrenal gland size and umbilical artery Doppler in growth-restricted fetuses.

OBJECTIVES: In fetal growth restriction (FGR), Doppler ultrasound is the most important method for the detection and management. However, additional parameters are needed to improve the distinction between constitutionally small fetuses and fetuses affected by FGR. METHODS: A total of 445 singleton pregnancies between 23 and 40 weeks of gestation were included in our retrospective study, of which 67 with FGR and 378 normal fetuses. A 2D-plane of the fetal adrenal gland was obtained and the adrenal gland ratio was measured. Spearman's correlation coefficient was calculated to assess the association of fetal Doppler and adrenal gland ratio with outcome parameters. Logistic regression analysis was performed to assess the statistical significance of "PI of the umbilical artery" and "adrenal gland ratio" as prognostic factors for intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR). RESULTS: PI of the umbilical artery was shown to correlate with outcome parameters (WG_Delivery: r=-0.125, p=0.008; birth weight: r=-0.268, p<0.001; birth weight centile: r=-0.248, p<0.001; APGAR at 5 min: r=-0.117, p=0.014). Adrenal gland ratio showed no correlation with any of the outcome parameters. In logistic regression however, both PI of the umbilical artery and the adrenal ratio were shown to be significantly associated with fetal IUGR. When combining the two parameters, predictive value was superior to the predictive value of each individual parameter (AUC 0.738 [95% CI 0.670; 0.806]). CONCLUSIONS: The adrenal gland ratio can be a useful addition to Doppler ultrasound when it comes to the detection of fetal FGR. Prospective studies are needed to establish references ranges and cut-off values for clinical decision-making.

Cervical strain elastography: pattern analysis and cervical sliding sign in preterm and control pregnancies.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to assess the value of cervical strain elastography and Cervical Sliding Sign (CSS) for predicting spontaneous preterm birth (sPTB). METHODS: In our case-control study we performed an elastographic assessment of the cervix in 82 cases of preterm birth (preterm group) and 451 control pregnancies (control group) between the 20th and 37th week of gestation. We divided the anterior cervical lip first into two ("Intern2", "Extern2") and into three sectors ("Intern3", "Middle3", "Extern3"). The tissue deformation pattern after local compression with an ultrasound probe was recorded. We distinguished between an irregularly distributed ("Spotting") and homogeneous pattern presentation. Additionally, the presence of a sliding of the anterior against the posterior cervical lip (positive CSS) during compression was evaluated. A logistic regression analysis and the Akaike Information Criterion (AIC) were used to estimate the probability of sPTB and to select a prediction model. RESULTS: Spotting and positive CSS occurred more frequently in the preterm group compared to control group (97.8 vs. 2.2%, p<0.001; 26.8 vs. 4.2%, p<0.001; respectively). The model with the parameters week of gestation at ultrasound examination, Intern3, Middle3 and CSS was calculated as the highest quality model for predicting sPTB. The AUC (Area Under the Curve) was higher for this parameter combination compared to cervical length (CL) (0.926 vs. 0.729). CONCLUSIONS: Cervical strain elastography pattern analysis may be useful for the prediction of sPTB, as the combination of Spotting analysis and CSS is superior to CL measurement alone.

Correlation of first-trimester thymus size with chromosomal anomalies.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to investigate the correlation between fetal thymus size measured during first-trimester screening and chromosomal anomalies. METHODS: This study is a retrospective evaluation, in which the anterior-posterior diameter of the thymus in a midsagittal plane was measured in first-trimester ultrasound between 11+0 and 13+6 weeks of gestation in 168 fetuses with chromosomal anomalies (study group) and 593 healthy fetuses (control group). The included cases were subdivided into six groups: (1) trisomy 21, (2) trisomy 18, (3) trisomy 13, (4) Turner syndrome, (5) triploidy and (6) normal controls. Thymus size measurements were adjusted to the week of gestation, which was determined by ultrasound using crown-rump-length (CRL), by calculating a ratio between CRL and thymus size (CRL-thymus-ratio). Each study group was compared with the control group separately. RESULTS: Thymus size in fetuses affected by trisomy 18 or trisomy 13 was noticeably smaller compared to the control group (1.4 mm [1.3, 1.5] and 1.3 mm [1.2, 1.4] vs. 1.8 mm [1.6, 2.1]; all p<0.001; respectively). The thymus size of fetuses with trisomy 21 and Turner syndrome did not differ from healthy fetuses. Between the CRL-thymus-ratios of the separate study groups no statistically noticeable differences could be found. CONCLUSIONS: Fetal thymus size appeared to be smaller in pregnancies affected by trisomy 18 and trisomy 13. The predictive value of fetal thymus size in first-trimester screening should be evaluated prospectively.

Influence of maternal HIV infection on fetal thymus size.

Objective To reveal the effect of a maternal human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection on the fetal thymus size. Methods The sonographic fetal thymus size was measured retrospectively in 105 pregnancies with maternal HIV infection and in 615 uncomplicated singleton pregnancies. The anteroposterior thymic and the intrathoracic mediastinal diameter were determined in the three-vessel view and their quotient, the thymic-thoracic ratio (TT ratio), was calculated. The study group was subdivided into three groups by the maternal viral load on the date of ultrasound (<50 cop./mL, 50-1000 cop./mL, >1000 cop./mL). Furthermore, an association between prognostic factors of the HIV infection such as the lymphocyte count, CD4/CD8 ratio, HIV medication and the thymus size, was investigated using correlation analyses. Results Fetal thymus size in pregnancies of HIV-positive mothers showed to be noticeably larger than in uncomplicated pregnancies. The mean TT ratio in the HIV-positive group was 0.389 and in the control group 0.345 (P < 0.001). There was no association between any maternal HIV parameter or medication and the size of the thymus gland. Conclusion Maternal HIV infection was associated with an increased fetal thymus size. Further consequences of intrauterine HIV exposure for fetal outcome and the development of the immune system of HIV-exposed uninfected (HEU) infants must be discussed.

Procedure related risk of premature delivery and fetal growth reduction following amniocentesis, transcervical and transabdominal chorionic villus sampling: a retrospective study.

Background The aim of this study was to compare transabdominal and transcervical chorionic villus sampling (CVS) as well as amniocentesis (AC) with respect to their rates of premature delivery and fetal growth restriction. Methods We retrospectively evaluated the mentioned procedures of invasive prenatal testing performed in a single center between 2001 and 2016. Seven hundred and ninety-nine cases of AC and 719 cases of CVS were included, of which 400 were performed transvaginally. Only singleton pregnancies with a normal karyotype and delivery after 24 + 0 weeks of gestation were included. Fetal growth restriction was defined as birth weight below the 10th percentile. Premature delivery was defined as delivery before 37 + 0 weeks of gestation. Data were compared to a control group without an invasive procedure. Results The frequency of premature delivery was 8.5% after transabdominal CVS, 6.3% after transcervical CVS and 10.5% after AC as compared to 10.8% in the control group. The frequency of fetal growth restriction was 8.2% after transabdominal CVS 6.8% after transcervical CVS and 8.4% after AC as compared to 9.7% in the control group. Conclusion Our study supports that the three different methods of invasive prenatal testing do not lead to a higher risk of either premature delivery or fetal growth restriction when compared to controls. We found no difference in risk profile among the three techniques.

Fetal adrenal gland size in gestational diabetes mellitus.

Background The aim of this study was to compare the adrenal gland size of fetuses of women with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) with that of healthy control fetuses. Methods This prospective cross-sectional study included measurements of the adrenal gland size of 62 GDM fetuses (GDM group) and 370 normal controls (control group) between the 19th and 41st week of gestation. A standardized transversal plane was used to measure the total width and the medulla width. The cortex width and an adrenal gland ratio (total width/medulla width) were calculated from these data. Adrenal gland size measurements were adjusted to the week of gestation and compared between the two groups in a multivariable linear regression analysis. A variance decomposition metric was used to compare the relative importance of predictors of the different adrenal gland size measurements. Results For all the investigated parameters of the adrenal gland size, increased values were found in the case of GDM (P < 0.05), while adjusting for the week of gestation. GDM seems to have a greater impact on the size of the cortex than on the size of the medulla. Conclusion The fetal adrenal gland is enlarged in pregnancy complicated by GDM. The width of the cortex seems to be particularly affected.

Comparison of Longitudinal and Apical Foetal Speckle Tracking Echocardiography Using Tissue Motion Annular Displacement and Segmental Longitudinal Strain.

The aim of our prospective pilot study with exploratory analysis was to compare longitudinal and apical foetal speckle tracking echocardiography (STE) using tissue motion annular displacement (TMAD) and segmental longitudinal strain (SLS). We compared two different STE quantification tools in a longitudinal and apical four-chamber view in 57 normal foetuses between 20 and 40 wk of gestation. Myocardial mechanical dyssynchrony and strain were assessed using offline quantification software (QLab Version 10.3, Philips Medical Systems, Andover, MA, USA). We compared the dyssynchrony measurements with TMAD and SLS in longitudinal and apical four-chamber views. Furthermore, we examined the segmental strain values of both ventricles with SLS and compared the differences between longitudinal and apical measurements. Dyssynchrony measurements with TMAD and SLS and strain measurements with SLS were feasible in all cases. In the apical view, the dyssynchrony measurements with TMAD were systematically greater than those achieved with SLS (p < 0.001). For the longitudinal view, no differences were observed between tools (p = 0.153). The application of SLS provided similar results for dyssynchrony in both views (intra-class correlation coefficient [ICC] = 0.281, p = 0.623), but the strain measurements in the left and right ventricles differed significantly between views (ICC = -0.082, p = 0.011, and ICC = -0.061, p = 0.024, respectively). For TMAD, we found large differences in the dyssynchrony values between longitudinal and apical assessment (ICC = -0.060, p = 0.03). Furthermore, TMAD exhibited reduced accuracy in the system's automatic tracking algorithm, limiting the data quality. The dyssynchrony assessment is affected less by the foetal position in SLS than in TMAD. The strain readings in SLS varied depending on the view in which they were assessed. The application of TMAD cannot be recommended for foetal STE.

Adrenal gland size in growth restricted fetuses.

Objective To compare the adrenal gland size of fetal growth restricted (FGR) and normal control fetuses. Study design In this prospective study the adrenal gland size of 63 FGR fetuses and 343 normal controls was measured between 20 and 41 weeks of gestation. The total width and the medulla width were measured in a new standardized transversal plane. The cortex width and a calculated ratio of the total and medulla width (adrenal gland ratio) were compared between both groups. Results The mean cortex width and the adrenal gland ratio in FGR fetuses were higher in comparison to the controls (P<0.001; P=0.036, respectively). The cortex width correlated positively with the gestational age (control group: P<0.001; FGR group: P=0.089) whilst the adrenal gland ratio showed no association with the gestational age (control group: P=0.153; FGR group: P=0.314). Conclusion The adrenal gland cortex width and the adrenal gland ratio were increased in FGR fetuses compared to normal fetuses.