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Can fetal pulmonary artery Doppler indices predict neonatal respiratory distress syndrome?

Journal of Perinatology volume 35, pages 1015–1019 (2015)Cite this article

Subjects

Abstract

Objective:

To study whether fetal main pulmonary artery (MPA) Doppler indices can predict the development of neonatal respiratory distress syndrome (RDS).

Study Design:

This prospective cross-sectional study included pregnant women between 34 and 38+6 weeks gestation. The diagnostic accuracy of MPA Doppler measurements (systolic/diastolic (S/D) ratio, peak systolic velocity (PSV), pulsatility index (PI), resistance index (RI) and acceleration time/ejection time (At/Et)) for diagnosis of neonatal RDS was tested.

Result:

Of the 698 eligible fetuses, 55 (7.87%) developed neonatal RDS. PSV, PI, RI and At/Et were positively correlated with gestational age. The strongest correlation was found with At/Et (r=0.602, P<0.001). PI and RI were significantly higher, whereas At/Et and PSV were significantly lower in fetuses that developed RDS. A cutoff value of 0.305 for At/Et predicted the development of RDS (sensitivity: 76.4%; specificity: 91.6%).

Conclusion:

Development of neonatal RDS can be predicted using the MPA At/Et with high sensitivity and specificity.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Obstetrics and Gynecology Department, Cairo University, Cairo, Egypt

    G A F A Moety & H M Gaafar

  2. Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, Cairo University, Cairo, Egypt

    N M El Rifai

Authors
  1. G A F A Moety
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  2. H M Gaafar
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  3. N M El Rifai
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Correspondence to N M El Rifai.

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Moety, G., Gaafar, H. & El Rifai, N. Can fetal pulmonary artery Doppler indices predict neonatal respiratory distress syndrome?. J Perinatol 35, 1015–1019 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1038/jp.2015.128

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