Background: Preeclampsia and Intrauterine growth restriction are major complication of pregnancy. Early and Non-invasive Ultrasound prediction of these conditions could be beneficial in early prevention and management.
Aim of the Work: This study investigates if the placental volume and vasculature by Doppler (3DPD) can be dependible in predicting pregnancies complicated by Pre-eclampsia and/ or IUGR and normal pregnancies.
Patients and Methods: This study was conducted on 150 pregnant women attending to antenatal clinic in Al azhar maternity hospital. We measured the placental volume and vascular indices.
Results: The study found that IUGR and/or preeclampsia were established in twenty cases. The cut-off level was determined according to the placental volume and vascular indices. The specificity, sensitivity, positive and negative predictive values of placental volume for prediction of IUGR and/or preeclampsia were found to be 80.4%, 68.5%, 52.1% and 86.8%, respectively. The specificity, sensitivity, positive and negative predictive values of placental flow index for prediction of IUGR and/or preeclampsia were found to be 68.9%, 78.3%, 40.2% and 88.5%, respectively.
Conclusion: The quantitative assessment of first trimester placental vasculature and placental volume can be considered a promising modality for early prediction of IUGR and/or PET. More researches of placental volume and vasculature for predicting preeclampsia and/or Intra Uterine Growth Restriction should be conducted on a large number of cases are necessary to further evaluate these parameters and strategies of combination with other modalities to achieve the best predictive models for preeclampsia and IUGR.
Keywords:Preeclampsia; first trimester; intrauterine growth restriction; placental volume.