The relationship between an aortic isthmus blood flow velocity index and the postnatal neurodevelopmental status of fetuses with placental circulatory insufficiency.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the association between an abnormal aortic isthmus blood flow index and postnatal neurodevelopmental outcome in fetuses with placental circulatory insufficiency. STUDY DESIGN Forty-eight children who were born between 1991 and 1999 were included in this study on the basis of abnormal umbilical artery Doppler velocimetry. Prenatal isthmus blood flow index was obtained by dividing the sum of the systolic and diastolic Doppler blood flow velocity integrals by the systolic blood flow integrals. Neurodevelopmental outcome between 2 and 5 years was classified as optimal, when neurologic assessment and developmental quotient were within normal limits and as nonoptimal when abnormal neurologic findings and/or a nonoptimal developmental quotient was present. Neurodevelopmental outcome was analyzed in relation to isthmus flow index and pulsatility indices in the umbilical artery. RESULTS: The mean gestational age at delivery was 33.0 +/- 2 weeks. Nonoptimal neurodevelopmental outcome was found in 60.4% of the children (29/48). An inverse correlation was found between the isthmus blood flow index and postnatal neurodevelopmental outcome. All 13 children with an isthmus blood flow index of <0.5 were in the nonoptimal group. All 19 children with an optimal outcome had an isthmus blood flow index of >0.5, but this was also the case for 16 other children with nonoptimal neurodevelopmental outcome. An isthmus blood flow index cut-off value of 0.70 was associated with the highest overall positive and negative predictive values. The pulsatility index in the umbilical artery did not provide any significant contribution in the explanation of the outcome. CONCLUSION: The isthmic blood flow index can help to identify a subgroup of fetuses with placental circulatory insufficiency that might benefit from early delivery.

Fasting plasma glucose versus glucose challenge test: screening for gestational diabetes and cost effectiveness.

OBJECTIVE: To compare the performance in screening for gestational carbohydrate intolerance of the 1-h 50-g glucose challenge test (GCT), fasting plasma glucose (FPG) and fasting capillary glucose (FCG). DESIGN AND METHODS: FPG and FCG were measured at the same time as the GCT in 188 women. Gestational carbohydrate intolerance was diagnosed according to the Canadian Diabetes Association criteria. We constructed receiver operator characteristic (ROC) curves and compared the sensitivity and specificity of the FPG, FCG and GCT. RESULTS: Gestational diabetes was diagnosed in 11.2% women and gestational impaired glucose tolerance in 8.4%. The areas under the ROC curves for the FPG, the GCT and the FCG were not statistically different (P = 0.26). The GCT yielded a better specificity than the FPG and the FCG for a comparable level of sensitivity. CONCLUSIONS: The GCT is better than the FPG in our population and is cost effective.