Change In Middle Cerebral Artery Pulsatility Index Over Time Due To Fetal Response To Defined Sound Stimulation: Human fetal responses to airborne sound stimulation

Abstract

The estimation of fetal reactions to different stimuli indicates the cortical structure’s development and maturity. Recent studies pointed out that Pulsatility index (PI) changes could be associated with auditory stimulation. Each reaction to a particular stimulus has time dynamics which include: the period before the stimulus, the period during and immediately after the stimulus, the period of response and reaction to the stimulus, and the period of returning to the state of rest. Bearing in mind this principle, the preliminary results of the analysis of PI changes measured in the middle cerebral artery (MCA) as a fetal reaction to a defined sound stimulus are given in the paper. The study was conducted at the Clinic for Gynecology and Obstetrics "Narodni front" in Belgrade, Serbia. The research sample included 5 women with no-risk pregnancies. The PI measuring in fetal MCA was conducted in the period between the 31th and the 32nd week of gestation. The results indicate the time dynamics of PI change exist and point to the necessity of a different approach to PI measurement in the conditions of defined sound stimulation, concerning the procedures described so far in the literature.