[The clinical value of Doppler ultrasound in obstetrics]

Doppler sonography now has many indications in obstetrical diagnosis. Its wide and often uncritical application was the reason for our study group to confirm its importance. Moreover, we wanted to prove our own procedure. We made 950 Doppler examinations in a group of 449 pregnant women and correlated the results to the fetal outcome. Children with pathological Doppler findings showed a significantly lower birth weight of 599 g, a significantly lower duration of pregnancy of 6 days, a significantly higher rate of Caesarean sections and a significantly higher death rate compared to children with normal Doppler findings. Concerning Apgar- and pH-values there was not any significant difference between the two collectives. These results show that fetuses with pathological Doppler values or growth retardation can have the same prognosis as fetuses with normal Doppler findings if they are recognized and monitored at an early stage. The morbidity by acidosis can thus be reduced.