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Fetal ductal constriction in the third trimester of pregnancy: a prevalence study

Journal of Perinatology volume 44, pages 444–445 (2024)Cite this article

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Fetal and neonatal pulmonary hypertension, potentially severe heart conditions, can be a consequence of premature fetal ductus arteriosus constriction (FDC), whose actual prevalence has not yet been reported in the literature [1, 2]. FDC is diagnosed by fetal echocardiography (FE), which shows ductal turbulent flow, increased velocities and decreased pulsatility index. It is a potentially reversible condition after suspension of the possible causal agents, mainly inhibitors of circulating prostaglandin E2 (PGE2), such as nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAID) and polyphenol-rich foods (PRF) [3, 4].

The unreported prevalence of FDC in the third trimester of pregnancy (≥27 weeks) constitutes a major gap in knowledge.

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Data availability

The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.

References

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Acknowledgements

This research did not receive any specific grant from funding agencies in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Fetal Cardiology Unit, Institute of Cardiology/University Foundation of Cardiology, Avenida Princesa Isabel, 370—Santana/CEP 90620-000, Porto Alegre, Brazil

    Paulo Zielinsky, Natássia Miranda Sulis, Cláudia Monster Martins, Kelly Pozzer Zucatti, Eduarda Rodrigues Bonamigo & Izabele Vian

  2. Department of Pediatrics, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Rua Ramiro Barcelos, 2400—Santa Cecília/CEP 90035-003, Porto Alegre, Brazil

    Paulo Zielinsky

Authors
  1. Paulo Zielinsky
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  2. Natássia Miranda Sulis
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  3. Cláudia Monster Martins
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  4. Kelly Pozzer Zucatti
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  5. Eduarda Rodrigues Bonamigo
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  6. Izabele Vian
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Contributions

ZP: (1) the conception and design of the study, or acquisition of data, or analysis and interpretation of data, (2) drafting the article or revising it critically for important intellectual content, and (3) final approval of the version to be submitted. SNM: (1) the conception and design of the study, or acquisition of data, or analysis and interpretation of data. MCM: (1) the conception and design of the study, or acquisition of data, or analysis and interpretation of data, and (2) drafting the article or revising it critically for important intellectual content. ZKP: (1) the conception and design of the study, or acquisition of data, or analysis and interpretation of data, and (2) drafting the article or revising it critically for important intellectual content. BE: (1) the conception and design of the study, or acquisition of data, or analysis and interpretation of data. VI: (1) the conception and design of the study, or acquisition of data, or analysis and interpretation of data, (2) drafting the article or revising it critically for important intellectual content, and (3) final approval of the version to be submitted. The authors report that no artificial intelligence (AI)-assisted technologies (such as Large Language Models [LLMs], chatbots, or image creators) were used in the production of this work.

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Correspondence to Paulo Zielinsky.

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Zielinsky, P., Sulis, N.M., Martins, C.M. et al. Fetal ductal constriction in the third trimester of pregnancy: a prevalence study. J Perinatol 44, 444–445 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41372-023-01844-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41372-023-01844-9

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