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Updated: Apr 28, 2026
Fetal Echocardiography and Pulsed-wave Doppler Ultrasound in a Rabbit Model of Intrauterine Growth Restriction
Published on: June 29, 2013
Maternal plasma homocysteine levels in intrauterine growth retardation
Ali Yeter1, Hasan Onur Topcu, Ali Irfan Guzel
1Division of Gynecology, Dr Zekai Tahir Burak Women's Health Education and Research Hospital , Ankara , Turkey.
Objective:
To investigate a possible correlation between maternal plasma homocysteine (HC) concentrations and intrauterine growth retardation (IUGR).
Methods:
The patients were divided into the IUGR group and controls. The IUGR group consisted of 40 women and their newborns with birth weight
Results:
No significant differences between the population characteristics in the two groups were found. There was a statistically significant difference in serum concentrations of HC: 5.6 ± 1.9 µmol/L in the IUGR group and 4.6 ± 1.2 µmol/L in controls (p = 0.01). ROC curve analysis demonstrated that pulsatility index (PI), resistance index (RI) and HC concentrations were discriminative markers in IUGR group. According to Pearson correlation analysis there was a possible association between HC concentrations and PI, RI and middle cerebral artery Doppler velocimetry (MCA).
Conclusion:
Higher maternal HC concentration and lower birth weight were observed in the IUGR group as compared to the control group. We are of the opinion that maternal plasma homocysteine concentration may be a prognostic marker in intrauterine growth retardation.
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