The Role of Doppler Waveforms measurements of the Fetal Main Pulmonary Artery in the Prediction of Neonatal Respiratory Distress Syndrome in diabetic pregnancies
Abstract:
Objective: To determine the role of fetal pulmonary artery Doppler indices in predicting respiratory distress syndrome in infants of diabetic mothers.

Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted at the obstetrics and gynecology department , PortSaid Maternity Hospital from February 2022 to March 2023 . We recruited diabetic mothers according to predetermined inclusion and exclusion criteria. Eligible women were subjected to complete history taking and examination. Fetal pulmonary artery doppler was done before delivery.

Results: This prospective study included 103 pregnant diabetic women, classified into two groups: group (1) included 50 diabetic women with preterm labor, and group (2) included 53 women with full-term gestation. The incidence of RDS in the preterm group (70%) was a statistically highly significant difference (p <0.001) in comparison with the full-term group (15.1%). Ultrasonographic Doppler parameters showed statistically significant difference (p <0.01) in AT, AT/ET, PSV, mean velocity, and Resistive Index , while ET and Pulsatility index showed statistically non-significant difference (p >0.05) in comparison between the two studied groups. The regression line showed a highly significant positive correlation between AT and RDS in both groups (r= 0.8678, P = 0.0001).

Conclusion: Fetal main pulmonary artery Doppler studies predicted the occurrence of neonatal RDS.

Keywords: maternal diabetes; respiratory distress; Doppler study; fetal pulmonary artery.