Abstract
Pulsatility index (PI) values in a fetal middle cerebral artery (MCA) were compared in no-risk pregnancies to examine the differences related to auditory stimulation test and pregnancy order. The study included 196 women with no-risk pregnancies selected from the database of more than 1000 pregnant women divided into two groups. Group 1 consisted of 98 nulliparous women (C1 = 98) and Group 2 consisted of 98 parous women (C2 = 98). All pregnant women were of comparable age and fetal gestational age (GA) when MCA-PI values were recorded. Measurements of PI values in fetal MCA were obtained before and immediately after the application of fetal auditory stimulation test. The MCA-PI measuring was conducted in the period between the 36th and the 41st week of GA. The results showed that PI baseline values and PI values after defined auditory stimulation were significantly different when measured in nulliparous women compared to parous women (p = 0.001; p = 0.003, respectively), while no group differences were observed in relative PI value changes due to auditory stimulation. These findings suggest that hemodynamic changes in fetal MCA caused by defined auditory stimulation measured by PI value changes may be valuable in the assessment of fetal auditory perception functionality and its development.
Highlights
The investigation of fetal behavior and its reactions to different stimuli indicates the cortical structure’s development and maturity
The measurement of middle cerebral artery (MCA)-Pulsatility index (PI) before and after defined sound stimulation was obtained during the period from the 36th to 41st gestational age (GA)
By solving the equation that represents a linear approximation of the dependence of relative changes of PI values (RePI) on PI reactions (PIR), we find that the interpolation line intersects the x-axis (PIR) at the value 0 = −0.5135 × PIR + 0.7171 which leads to PIR = 1.4
Summary
The investigation of fetal behavior and its reactions to different stimuli indicates the cortical structure’s development and maturity. Observing and examining the maturity of the fetal auditory system is crucial, as it may indicate the auditory potentials necessary in speech and language development. There is evidence that the intrauterine auditory stimulation may have an important role in shaping later auditory development [4], which may reflect on speech-language development, and on the overall child development. These findings point to the importance of auditory perception estimation at the early ontogenetic age
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