Evaluation of Relevance of Sonographic Findings with Prognosis and Outcomes of Pregnancy in Preeclampsia Patients in Comparison with Control Group

Abstract

Background: Preeclampsia is a multisystem disorder during pregnancy, affecting approximately 5–7 of pregnancies and leading to several complications in the mother, fetus and neonate. To date, no precise method has been discovered for the prevention and accurate screening of preeclampsia. Methods: One proposed method for predicting the occurrence of preeclampsia is placental sonography and color Doppler and spectral Doppler and assessment of Pulsatility Index (PI) of uterine and umbilical arteries. This study aimed to evaluate the relevance of grayscale sonography, color Doppler and spectral Doppler findings of the placenta and the associated vessels with prognosis and unpleasant outcomes of pregnancy in the mother, fetus and neonate, in two groups, pregnant women with preeclampsia and a healthy control group. Findings: The PI of uterine arteries (on each side, and the mean PI of bilateral uterine arteries), umbilical artery PI, and also presence of bilateral early diastolic uterine arteries notching on spectral Doppler study, had significantly higher incidence in the preeclampsia group. The Incidence of Preterm Birth, low fetal weight percentage, low fetal Abdominal Circumference, Low Birth Weight, rate of cesarean section, fetal and neonatal brain injuries, NICU admission and maternal ICU admission were significantly higher in the preeclampsia group. In addition, PI of uterine and umbilical arteries showed independent relevance with an increased rate of preterm birth. Conclusion: The findings of this study suggest the prognostic usage of sonographic findings, particularly color and spectral Doppler studies, in predicting preeclampsia adverse outcomes of pregnancy in this setting. © 2025, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences(IUMS). All rights reserved.