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Low maternal middle cerebral artery Doppler resistance indices can predict future development of pre-eclampsia
M Belfort1, T Van Veen, G L White
1Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA. belfort@bcm.edu
Objective:
To determine if decreased resistance (vasodilatation) in the maternal middle cerebral artery (MCA) in the second trimester can predict third-trimester development of pre-eclampsia.
Methods:
Four-hundred and five low-risk gravidas had MCA transcranial Doppler (TCD) once in the second trimester. Maternal/neonatal outcomes were evaluated after delivery. Mean blood pressure, MCA velocities, resistance index (RI), pulsatility index (PI) and cerebral perfusion pressure (CPP) were compared between normotensive and pre-eclamptic cohorts.
Results:
Seven subjects (1.7%) developed pre-eclampsia. An RI of < 0.54 and a PI of < 0.81 were clinically useful in predicting subsequent pre-eclampsia. Areas under the receiver-operating characteristics curves for RI and PI were 0.93 and 0.93, respectively, with optimal sensitivity and specificity of 86% and 93% for both variables. Positive and negative likelihood ratios were 11.8/0.15 (RI) and 12.3/0.15 (PI).
Conclusion:
TCD indices of low maternal MCA resistance in the second trimester are predictive of the subsequent development of pre-eclampsia in a low-risk, ethnically homogeneous population.
