Ophthalmic Artery Doppler as a Predictor of Adverse Neonatal Outcomes in Women With Preeclampsia

This study aimed to evaluate the association between ophthalmic artery (OA) Doppler indices and adverse neonatal outcomes in women with pregnancies complicated by preeclampsia (PE).

A prospective cross-sectional study involving 110 pregnant women who were diagnosed with PE in the first 24 h of hospitalization was conducted at three hospitals in southeastern Brazil from April 2020 to December 2022. The ophthalmic parameters analyzed were the resistance index (RI), pulsatility index (PI), first peak systolic velocity (PSV1), second peak systolic velocity (PSV2), ratio of PSV2 to PSV1 (PSV ratio or the peak ratio [PR]), and end-diastolic velocity (EDV). The outcome measures were neonatal death (during hospitalization), neonatal intensive care unit (ICU) admission, gestational age at delivery < 32 weeks, birth weight < 1500 g, birth weight < 10th percentile, the presence of comorbidities associated with prematurity, the use of invasive mechanical ventilation, an Apgar score at the 5th minute < 7.0, and signs of neurological impairment.

Pregnant women with severe features of PE showed higher values of systolic (152.8 ± 20.7 vs. 136.3 ± 11.9, p = 0.000) and diastolic (98.1 ± 12.8 vs. 88.1 ± 10.8, p = 0.000) blood pressure values and lower gestational age at admission (31.5 ± 3.8 vs. 33.7 ± 4.3, p = 0.009) than PE without severe features. No significant differences were found between the mean values of the OA Doppler indices when comparing the presence or absence of neonatal outcomes in the women with PE.

OA Doppler, while valuable for the prediction, diagnosis, and evaluation of adverse maternal outcomes, does not independently predict adverse neonatal outcomes in women with severe features of PE.