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Jugular venous blood flow velocity waveforms in human fetuses between 20 and 42 weeks of pregnancy
B Gross1, B M Petrikovsky, F Forman
1Department of Radiology, North Shore University Hospital, Cornell University Medical College, Manhasset, New York, USA.
Background:
The goal of the study was to measure the blood flow parameters of the fetal internal jugular vein during the second half of normal pregnancy using Doppler ultrasound.
Methods:
Jugular blood flow was analyzed in 95 normal singleton fetuses between 20 and 42 weeks gestation. Color and pulsed Doppler ultrasound was used to obtain jugular venous waveforms at the level of the mid-neck. Peak velocities, ratios of velocities, and time-averaged maximum velocities were measured.
Results:
Jugular venous waveforms in healthy fetuses consist of three phases--the first forward peak occurs during ventricle systole; the second forward peak occurs during early diastole and the third peak occurs during atrial contraction. Forty-eight percent of the fetuses demonstrated absent flow during atrial contraction; 32% of fetuses demonstrated forward flow during atrial contraction and finally 20% of fetuses demonstrated flow reversal during atrial contraction.
Conclusions:
The reported jugular venous profile may serve as a foundation for future studies of jugular blood flow in high risk fetuses.