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Updated: Oct 18, 2025
Human Fetal Blood Flow Quantification with Magnetic Resonance Imaging and Motion Compensation
Published on: January 7, 2021
Trauma and pregnancy: Is flow cytometry detection and quantification of fetal red blood cells useful?
Misgav Rottenstreich1, Reut Meir2, Itamar Glick2
1Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, Shaare Zedek Medical Center, The Hebrew University School of Medicine, Jerusalem, Israel; Department of Nursing, Jerusalem College of Technology, Jerusalem, Israel.
Objective:
To assess whether positive flow cytometry quantification of fetal red blood cells is associated with adverse maternal and neonatal outcomes in cases of mild trauma during pregnancy.
Study Design:
A retrospective database study was conducted at a single tertiary center between 2013 and 2019. All pregnant women with viable gestation involved in trauma who underwent flow cytometry quantification of fetal red blood cells were included in the study. Flow cytometry was considered positive (≥0.03/≥30 ml). Composite adverse maternal and neonatal outcome was defined as one or more of the following: intrauterine fetal death, placental abruption, pre-term birth <37 weeks of gestation, immediate premature rupture of the membranes, and immediate delivery following trauma. Univariate analysis was performed followed by multivariate logistic regression analysis controlling for potential confounders, to assess the role of flow cytometry in predicting adverse maternal and neonatal outcome. Adjusted odds ratios (aORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated.
Results:
During the study period 1023 women met inclusion and exclusion criteria. The mechanisms of injury were motor vehicle accident in 387 women (38%), falls in 367 (36%), direct abdominal injury in 353 (35%) and in 14 women (1%) other mechanism of injury. Flow cytometry was considered positive (≥0.03/≥30 ml) in 119 women (11.6%) with median result of 0.03 [0.03-0.04], and negative in 904 women (88.4%) ((≤0.03/≤30 ml) with median result of 0.01 [0.01-0.02]. Composite adverse outcome occurred in 8% of the women involved in trauma during pregnancy, with no difference between the groups with vs. without positive flow cytometry (4.2% vs. 8.5%; p = 0.1). Positive flow cytometry was not associated with any adverse maternal or neonatal outcome. This was confirmed on multivariate analysis controlling for potential confounders.
Conclusion:
Flow cytometry result is not related to adverse maternal and fetal/neonatal outcome of women involved in minor trauma during pregnancy. We suggest that flow cytometry should not be routinely assessed in pregnant women involved in minor trauma.
