Fetal congenital malformations. Biophysical profile evaluation

Area of Science:

• Perinatal Medicine
• Fetal Imaging
• Neonatal Health

Background:

• The biophysical profile (BPP) is a key tool for assessing fetal well-being.
• Congenital malformations can impact fetal development and may be reflected in BPP parameters.
• Understanding these associations can improve prenatal diagnosis and management.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the relationship between specific fetal congenital malformations and biophysical profile (BPP) parameters.
• To determine if fetal maturity influences BPP scores in malformed fetuses.
• To test hypotheses regarding BPP parameter absence and malformations.

Main Methods:

• A case-control study involving 316 fetuses with congenital malformations and 351 controls from 1985-1995.
• Evaluated four BPP parameters: fetal breathing, movements, muscle tone, and amniotic fluid volume.
• Analyzed data using chi-squared, Student's t-test, or Fisher's exact test, with significance set at P < .05.

Main Results:

• Malformed fetuses showed significantly higher rates of low BPP scores due to absent fluid, tone, or breathing compared to controls.
• Specific malformations were linked to deficits in particular BPP parameters (e.g., genitourinary anomalies and low fluid/tone/breathing).
• No significant difference in BPP scores was observed between fetuses at 26-34 weeks and those >34 weeks gestational age.

Conclusions:

• The study confirmed that specific fetal malformations are associated with the absence of certain BPP parameters.
• The findings support the utility of BPP in identifying fetuses with congenital anomalies.
• Fetal maturity did not significantly alter BPP scores in the studied gestational age ranges.