Corpus callosum-fastigium and tectal lengths in late-onset small fetuses

OBJECTIVE

To investigate measurements on neurosonography of midbrain morphology, including corpus callosum-fastigium length and tectal length, in late-onset small fetuses subclassified as small-for-gestational-age (SGA) or growth-restricted (FGR).

METHODS

This was a case-control study of consecutive singleton pregnancies delivered at term at a single center between January 2019 and July 2021, including those with late-onset smallness (estimated fetal weight (EFW) < 10th centile) and appropriate-for-gestational-age controls matched by age at neurosonography. Small fetuses were further subdivided into SGA (EFW between 3rd and 9th centile and normal fetoplacental Doppler) and FGR (EFW < 3rd centile or EFW < 10th centile with abnormal cerebroplacental ratio and/or uterine artery Doppler). Transvaginal neurosonography was performed at a mean ± SD gestational age of 33 ± 1 weeks in all fetuses to evaluate corpus callosum-fastigium length and tectal length in the midsagittal plane. Intra- and interobserver agreement was evaluated using the intraclass correlation coefficient and Bland-Altman plots.

RESULTS

A total of 70 fetuses with late-onset smallness (29 with SGA and 41 with FGR) and 70 controls were included. Compared with controls, small fetuses showed significantly shorter corpus callosum-fastigium length (median (interquartile range), 44.7 (43.3-46.8) mm vs 43.7 (42.4-45.5) mm, P < 0.001) and tectal length (mean ± SD, 10.5 ± 0.9 vs 9.6 ± 1.0 mm, P < 0.001). These changes were more prominent in FGR fetuses, with a linear trend across groups according to severity of smallness. Corpus callosum-fastigium length and tectal length measurements showed excellent intra- and interobserver reliability.

CONCLUSIONS

Small fetuses exhibited shorter corpus callosum-fastigium length and tectal length compared with controls, and these differences were more pronounced in fetuses with more severe smallness. These findings illustrate the potential value of midbrain measurements assessed on neurosonography as biomarkers for brain development in a high-risk population. However, further studies correlating these parameters with postnatal functional tests and follow-up are needed. © 2023 International Society of Ultrasound in Obstetrics and Gynecology.

Incidence of pre-eclampsia and other perinatal complications among pregnant women with congenital heart disease: systematic review and meta-analysis

OBJECTIVE

It has been proposed recently that pre-eclampsia (PE) may originate from maternal cardiac maladaptation rather than primary placental insult. As congenital heart disease (CHD) is associated with reduced adaptation to the hemodynamic needs of pregnancy, it is hypothesized that women with CHD have an increased risk of PE. The aim of this systematic review was to investigate the risk of PE in pregnant women with CHD.

METHODS

A systematic search was performed to identify relevant studies published in English, Spanish, French, Italian, Chinese or German, with no time restrictions, using databases such as PubMed, Web of Science and SCOPUS. Randomized controlled trials and observational studies (prospective or retrospective cohorts) of pregnant women with a history of CHD were sought. The main outcome was the incidence of PE (including eclampsia and HELLP syndrome). For quality assessment of the included studies, two reviewers assessed independently the risk of bias. For the meta-analysis, the incidence of PE in pregnancies (those beyond 20 weeks' gestation) was calculated using single-proportion analysis by random-effects modeling (weighted by inverse variance). Heterogeneity between studies was assessed using the χ² (Cochran's Q), tau² and I² statistics. Subgroup analysis was performed, and meta-regression was used to assess the influence of several covariates on the pooled results.

RESULTS

A total of 33 studies were included in the meta-analysis, including 40 449 women with CHD and a total of 40 701 pregnancies. The weighted incidence of PE was 3.1% (95% CI, 2.2-4.0%), with true-effect heterogeneity of 93% according to I² , and no publication bias found. No difference was found in the weighted incidence of PE between studies including cyanotic CHD vs those excluding (or not reporting) cyanotic CHD (2.5% (95% CI, 1.6-3.4%) vs 4.1% (95% CI, 2.4-5.7%); P = 0.0923). Meta-regression analysis showed that the only cofactor that significantly influenced the incidence of PE in each study was the reported incidence of aortic stenosis; studies with a higher incidence of aortic stenosis had a higher incidence of PE (estimate: 0.0005; P = 0.038).

CONCLUSIONS

We failed to demonstrate an incidence of PE above the expected baseline risk in women with CHD. This observation contradicts the theory of the cardiac origin of PE. © 2020 International Society of Ultrasound in Obstetrics and Gynecology.

Third-trimester uterine artery Doppler for prediction of adverse outcome in late small-for-gestational-age fetuses: systematic review and meta-analysis

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the predictive ability for adverse perinatal outcome of abnormal third-trimester uterine artery Doppler in late small-for-gestational-age (SGA) fetuses.

METHODS

A systematic search was performed to identify relevant observational studies and randomized controlled trials evaluating the performance of abnormal third-trimester uterine artery Doppler for the prediction of adverse perinatal outcome in suspected SGA fetuses and SGA neonates. Abnormal uterine artery Doppler was defined as uterine artery pulsatility index > 95^th percentile or ≥ 2 SD above the mean, or bilateral uterine artery notching. Hierarchical summary receiver-operating-characteristics (ROC) curves were constructed using random-effects modeling. Bayesian analysis was used to calculate the posterior probability of adverse perinatal outcome following an abnormal or normal uterine artery Doppler assessment.

RESULTS

Seventeen observational studies (including 7552 fetuses either diagnosed with suspected SGA (n = 3461) or later diagnosed as a SGA neonate (n = 4091)) met the inclusion criteria; no randomized-controlled trials met the inclusion criteria. Summary ROC curves showed that, among suspected SGA fetuses, the best predictive accuracy of abnormal third-trimester uterine artery Doppler was for perinatal mortality and the worst was for composite adverse perinatal outcome, with areas under the summary ROC curves of 0.90 and 0.66, respectively. The corresponding positive and negative likelihood ratios were 16.5 and 0.6 for perinatal mortality and 2.82 and 0.65 for composite adverse perinatal outcome, respectively. Following an abnormal vs normal uterine artery Doppler assessment, the posterior risks for composite adverse perinatal outcome, admission to the neonatal intensive care unit, Cesarean section for intrapartum fetal compromise, 5-min Apgar score < 7, neonatal acidosis and perinatal death were: 52.3% vs 20.2%, 48.6% vs 18.7%, 23.1% vs 15.2%, 3.59% vs 1.32%, 9.15% vs 5.12% and 31.4% vs 1.64%, respectively.

CONCLUSION

Abnormal uterine artery Doppler in the third trimester appears to be moderately useful in predicting perinatal death in pregnancies with suspected SGA. Copyright © 2019 ISUOG. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.