Can fetal pulmonary artery Doppler indices predict neonatal respiratory distress syndrome?

Abstract

To study whether fetal main pulmonary artery (MPA) Doppler indices can predict the development of neonatal respiratory distress syndrome (RDS). This prospective cross-sectional study included pregnant women between 34 and 38+6 weeks gestation. The diagnostic accuracy of MPA Doppler measurements (systolic/diastolic (S/D) ratio, peak systolic velocity (PSV), pulsatility index (PI), resistance index (RI) and acceleration time/ejection time (At/Et)) for diagnosis of neonatal RDS was tested. Of the 698 eligible fetuses, 55 (7.87%) developed neonatal RDS. PSV, PI, RI and At/Et were positively correlated with gestational age. The strongest correlation was found with At/Et (r=0.602, P<0.001). PI and RI were significantly higher, whereas At/Et and PSV were significantly lower in fetuses that developed RDS. A cutoff value of 0.305 for At/Et predicted the development of RDS (sensitivity: 76.4%; specificity: 91.6%). Development of neonatal RDS can be predicted using the MPA At/Et with high sensitivity and specificity.