Uterine Artery Doppler study and Serum B-Human Chorionic Gonadotropin as Predictors of Preeclampsia

Abstract

Background: preeclampsia (PE) is defined as the presence of high blood pressure (BP > 140/90 mmHg) after 20 weeks gestation, in a previously normotensive non-proteinuric patient with one or more of the following: significant protienuria (> 0.3 g/24 h), maternal organ dysfunction or utero- placental dysfunction. Aim of the Work: screening of preeclampsia using serum β-HCG titre at 11-14 weeks of gestation and uterine artery Doppler study at 11-14 weeks and 22-24 weeks of gestation. Patients and Methods: the study was a prospective. It was conducted at the outpatient clinics of Obstetrics and Gynecology of Al-Zahraa University Hospital, Al-Azhar University during the period from February 2017 to April 2018. Results: the uterine artery pulsatility index (PI) and resistance index (RI) of both uterine artery were significantly high in those patients who developed PE. In the uterine artery Doppler study at 11-14 weeks of gestation, the mean PI and RI of both right and left uterine arteries were significantly different between the two groups, PI and RI were higher in PE group, the mean of right uterine artery PI in PE group was 2.39 ± 0.38 VS 1.69 ± 0.34 in non PE group. It was statistically highly significant (P value was 0.004). The maternal serum β-HCG titre was insignificantly different in those who developed preeclampsia and others. Conclusion: the maternal uterine artery PI and RI in early pregnancy (11-14 weeks of gestation) and in mid pregnancy (22-24 weeks of gestation) were increased and associated with occurrence of preeclampsia