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Updated: Mar 19, 2026
Fetal Echocardiography and Pulsed-wave Doppler Ultrasound in a Rabbit Model of Intrauterine Growth Restriction
Published on: June 29, 2013
Time-interval changes of cardiac cycles in fetal growth restriction
Yasushi Kurihara1, Daisuke Tachibana1, Natsuko Yokoi1
1Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Osaka City University Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka, Japan.
Objective:
The aims of this study were to investigate the time intervals of each component of cardiac flow velocity waveforms (FVWs) in fetuses with fetal growth restriction (FGR) and to compare these with those of normal fetuses using reference ranges.
Methods:
The durations of atrioventricular (AV) valve opening (AVVO), AV valve closure (AVVC), total E- (total-E) and A- (total-A) waves, total ejection time (total-ET), acceleration time (acc-E for E-wave, acc-A for A-wave, and acc-ET for ejection time), and deceleration time (dec-E for E-wave, dec-A for A-wave, and dec-ET for ejection time) were measured in fetuses with FGR. All variables were analyzed using z-scores.
Results:
Measurements of 17 growth-restricted fetuses were obtained. The time intervals between the last Doppler examination and delivery ranged from 0 to 6 days, with a median of 1 day. Significant increases were observed in AVVO, total-E, dec-E, and acc-A of the left heart. acc-E, acc-ET and AVVC of the left heart were significantly decreased. In the right heart, AVVO, total-E and dec-E were significantly increased.
Conclusion:
A prolonged time interval between early ventricular inflow and atrial contraction, as well as increased duration of AV valve opening, may reflect hemodynamic alterations in FGR fetuses.
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