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Updated: Jul 20, 2026
The 4-vessel Sampling Approach to Integrative Studies of Human Placental Physiology In Vivo
Published on: August 2, 2017
Correlation between first-trimester uterine artery Doppler indices and maternal serum free beta-human chorionic
Federico Prefumo1, Silvana Canini, Valentina Casagrande
1Unità Operativa Ostetricia e Ginecologia, Istituto G. Gaslini, Università di Genova, Genoa, Italy. fprefumo@sgul.ac.uk
Objective:
To assess the correlation between first-trimester uterine artery Doppler measurements and maternal serum levels of free beta-hCG and pregnancy-associated plasma protein A (PAPP-A).
Design:
Observational study.
Setting:
Teaching hospital.
Patient(S):
Four hundred thirty-three women at 10-14 weeks of gestation.
Intervention(S):
Doppler ultrasound of the uterine arteries. Fluorimetric immunoassays for free beta-hCG and PAPP-A.
Main Outcome Measure(S):
Uterine artery mean resistance index (RI), pulsatility index (PI), and number of early diastolic notches. Maternal serum levels of free beta-hCG and PAPP-A.
Result(S):
There were 401 uncomplicated pregnancies. In this group, free beta-hCG and PAPP-A did not significantly correlate with uterine artery RI or PI (r values between -0.089 and 0.029, all nonsignificant). Free beta-hCG and PAPP-A levels did not significantly change with the number of notches. Uterine artery resistance and PAPP-A levels were independently correlated with birth weight.
Conclusion(S):
Preliminary evidence suggests that first-trimester uterine artery Doppler measurements do not correlate with maternal serum levels of free beta-hCG and PAPP-A. This may allow their combined use in multivariate screening for pregnancy complications.
