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Fetal lung elasticity changes following antenatal betamethasone administration assessed by shear-wave elastography
Gusztav Labossa1,2,3,4, Reka A Vass1,2,3,4, Tibor Ertl1,2,3,4
1Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Medical School University of Pécs, Pécs, Hungary.
Background:
Antenatal corticosteroids are widely used to accelerate fetal lung maturation in pregnancies at risk of preterm birth. However, a reliable non-invasive method to directly assess the fetal lung response to therapy in utero is lacking. Shear-wave elastography (SWE) has emerged as a potential imaging technique for evaluating fetal lung tissue properties.
Methods:
This retrospective observational study included 26 pregnancies between 24 and 34 weeks of gestation. Fetal lung and liver elasticity were assessed using two-dimensional SWE before maternal betamethasone administration, 1 min after treatment, and 24 h later.
Results:
Fetal lung elasticity demonstrated a gestational age-dependent decrease, with significantly lower values at 32-34 weeks compared with earlier gestational ages. No significant change in lung elasticity was observed 1 min after corticosteroid administration. However, lung elasticity decreased significantly at 24 h (from 1.87 ± 0.04 kPa to 1.72 ± 0.04 kPa, p = 0.0005). Liver elasticity remained unchanged throughout the observation period.
Conclusion:
Fetal lung elasticity measured by SWE decreases within 24 h following antenatal betamethasone administration. These findings suggest that SWE may detect corticosteroid-associated changes in fetal lung mechanical properties in utero. Further studies are needed to determine the clinical relevance of this approach.
