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CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 · Ultrasound Int Open 2018; 04(01): E16-E22
DOI: 10.1055/s-0044-102005
Original Article
Eigentümer und Copyright ©Georg Thieme Verlag KG 2017

Correlation Between Fetal Weight Gain and Birth Weight with Blood Flow in the Uterine Arteries Calculated with the PixelFlux Technique

Helene Caroline Arneberg   *
1   Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Institute of Clinical and Molecular Medicine, Trondheim, Norway
,
Thea Anette Andersen   *
1   Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Institute of Clinical and Molecular Medicine, Trondheim, Norway
,
Liv Lorås
2   Trondheim University Hospital (St. Olavs Hospital), National Center for Fetal Medicine, Trondheim, Norway
,
Hans Torp
3   Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Department of Circulation and Medical Imaging, Trondheim, Norway
,
Thomas Manfred Scholbach
4   Leipzig Ultrasound Institute, Leipzig, Germany
,
Torbjørn Moe Eggebø
1   Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Institute of Clinical and Molecular Medicine, Trondheim, Norway
2   Trondheim University Hospital (St. Olavs Hospital), National Center for Fetal Medicine, Trondheim, Norway
› Author Affiliations
Further Information

Publication History

received 11 January 2017
revised 07 November 2017

accepted 09 January 2018

Publication Date:
18 April 2018 (online)

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Abstract

Introduction The aim was to investigate correlations between fetal weight gain/day and birthweight with blood flow estimates in the uterine arteries calculated with the PixelFlux technique and with measurements from TAmax. We also aimed to examine the agreement between estimates using the two methods.

Material and methods We conducted a prospective observational pilot study in pregnancy week 24–25 in women with risk pregnancies referred to the fetal medical centre at St. Olavs Hospital, Trondheim, Norway from March 2016 to June 2016. Blood flow in the uterine arteries was calculated using time-averaged peak velocity (TAmax) and the PixelFlux technique. PixelFlux is a method based on pixelwise calculation of spatially angle-corrected velocities and areas of all pixels inside a vessel during a heart cycle.

Results The mean flow calculated from PixelFlux and TAmax was 811 ml/minute and 787 ml/minute, respectively. The intra-class correlation coefficient was 0.83 (95% CI 0.72-0.90) and limits of agreement were −441 ml/minute (95% CI -558 to −324 ml/minute) to 489 ml/minute (95% CI 372 to 606 ml/minute). We observed a significant correlation between mean flow calculated from PixelFlux and birthweight (r=0.41; p<0.01) and between flow calculated from PixelFlux and weight gain/day (r=0.33; p=0.02). Calculation based on TAmax was significant correlated to birthweight (r=0.34; p=0.02), but not to weight-gain/day. Pulsatile index was not correlated to flow, birthweight or fetal weight-gain/day.

Conclusions We found significant correlations between estimated blood flow in the uterine arteries using the PixelFlux technique with fetal weight-gain/day and with birthweight. Estimates from two methods showed good agreement.

Key words

fetus - obstetrics - pregnancy - uterus - ultrasound-color doppler

* The two first authors contributed equally to this work.


 

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