ASSESSMENT OF UMBILICAL ARTERY DOPPLER AND AMNIOTIC FLUID INDEX IN FORECASTING OBSTETRIC AND PERINATAL OUTCOMES FROM 34 WEEKS OF GESTATION ONWARDS

Main Article Content

Asma Iqbal Ansari
Asma Iqbal
Shabnam Hasan
Sarwat Khalid
Ome Kulsoom
Rahila Imtiaz

Keywords

Color Doppler, Oligohydramnios, Umbilical Artery, Amniotic Fluid Index, Perinatal Outcome

Abstract

Objective


To compare perinatal outcomes of patients having normal and abnormal umbilical artery Doppler results.


Study design: Descriptive case series


Duration and place of study: This study was conducted in KMU Sobhraj Maternity Hospital Karachi Pakistan from August 2024 to August 2025


Methodology


This case series was descriptive and comprised of 110 pregnant women who had a gestation period of 34 weeks and above. Ultrasound assessment was done on all the participants and Doppler analysis carried out where there was oligohydramnios. Two groups of patients were also classified based on Doppler findings normal and abnormal. The mode of delivery and neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) admission were compared between the groups with chi square test with p-value 0.05 or less being taken as statistically significant.


Results


The cesarean delivery rate was much higher in women who had abnormal Doppler results than in those who had normal results (61% vs. 23, p=0.000). On the same note, the number of neonates that were admitted to NICUs was significantly higher when parents of these newborns had an abnormal Doppler study.


Conclusion


Umbilical artery Doppler is a useful instrument that can be used to determine women who are at risk of having adverse maternal and neonatal outcomes due to oligohydramnios. Its application can contribute to the timely intervention and can possibly decrease the rate of undesirable obstetric and perinatal events.


 

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References

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