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First trimester screening for pre-eclampsia (PE) combining uterine artery Doppler (UtA-PI), mean arterial pressure (MAP) and placental growth factor (PlGF) with the background risk allows the best prediction of preterm PE (pPE). Only median PAPP-A-MoM measured significantly different by the two calculations with 1.12 [0.79-1.55] and 1.24 [0.83-1.69] respectively (p = 0.0045). Combining UtA-PI, MAP and PlGF on the online calculator 141/995 (14.2%) had a risk > 1:100 and at the SPR of 11% the cut-off is 1:68. [Extracted from the article]

Results In total, 28 singleton pregnancies with gastroschisis and 24 singleton pregnancies with omphalocele met the inclusion criteria. Gastroschisis and omphalocele are the two most common congenital fetal abdominal wall defects (AWDs). EP23.09: Placental and neonatal weight in fetuses with abdominal wall defects: gastroschisis versus omphalocele - where is the fetus smaller?. [Extracted from the article]

Previous studies have shown that fetuses with congenital heart disease (CHD) and associated extracardiac malformations or genetic anomalies are at an increased risk for intrauterine fetal death (IUFD). Birthweight percentiles were lowest for LSL and UD, 31% of included cases ranked below the 10 SP th sp percentile. Conclusions Our study shows that birthweight percentiles of IUFD with a LSL indicate a possible placental insufficiency, which could be another reason for IUFD. [Extracted from the article]

Objective: To investigate the influence of different measurement conditions and ultrasound training level on uterine artery pulsatility index (UtA-PI) measurements as required for combined first trimester preeclampsia (PE) screening., Methods: This was a prospective study of consecutive patients with singleton pregnancies presenting for an ultrasound examination between 11 and 14 weeks' gestation. UtA-PI measurements were conducted by residents in training and repeated by experienced sonographers thereafter. UtA-PI measurements were conducted under different examination conditions. First, the trainee sonographers performed transabdominal sagittal and transverse UtA-PI measurements without bladder filling. These measurements were then repeated by the expert sonographers. Additionally, the expert sonographers also performed transvaginal UtA-PI measurements and transabdominal measurements with bladder filling. Statistical analysis was conducted with the statistical software R and included descriptive statistics as well as 2-sided paired t tests., Results: A total of 100 women were included in the study. Mean age was 31.7 ± 4.92 years and mean gestational week was 12.5 ± 0.53 weeks. A total of 56% were nulliparous and 44% were parous. UtA-PI was significantly lower if performed by a sonographer in training versus an experienced sonographer (P = .031). No significant difference was observed in comparing transverse and sagittal techniques (P = .241). There was also no significant difference in transabominal versus transvaginal measurements (P = .806) and with an empty versus full bladder (P = .444)., Conclusion: Experience of sonographer has a significant impact on UtA-PI. Supervised onsite training is necessary to improve reliability and consistency of UtA-PI measurements and make PE screening reliable for implementation in a universal screening setting., (© 2024 The Author(s). Journal of Ultrasound in Medicine published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine.)

Postpartum hypertension (PPHT) is hypertension that persists or develops after delivery and is a frequent cause of readmission, affecting 10% of pregnancies. This interim analysis aims to describe the cohort and to determine the feasibility and acceptance of a home-based telemonitoring management strategy (HBTMS) in PPHT patients. Enrollment at the University Hospital Basel began during the 2020 SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. Maternity-ward patients were screened for preexisting hypertension, hypertensive disorders of pregnancy, and de novo PPHT. In this pragmatic non-randomized prospective trial, the participants chose the HBTMS or standard of care (SOC), which consisted of outpatient hypertension clinic appointments. The HBTMS was a smartphone application or a programmed spreadsheet to report blood pressure (BP), followed by telephone consultations. Three months postpartum, the participants underwent a 24 h BP measurement and a blood, biomarker, and urine analysis. A total of 311 participants were enrolled between 06/20 and 08/23. The mean age was 34 (±5.3) years. The current pregnancy history demonstrated the following (≥1 diagnosis possible): 10% had preexisting hypertension, 27.3% gestational hypertension, 53% preeclampsia (PE), 0.3% eclampsia, 6% HELLP (hemolysis, elevated liver enzymes, and low platelets), and 18.3% de novo PPHT. A family history of cardiovascular disease and PE was reported in 49.5% and 7.5%, respectively. In total, 23.3% were high-risk for PE. A total of 68.5% delivered via c-section, the mean hospitalization was 6.3 days (±3.9), and newborn intrauterine growth restriction occurred in 21%. A total of 99% of the participants chose the HBTMS. This analysis demonstrated that the HBTMS was accepted. This is vital in the immediate postpartum period and pertinent when the exposure of hospital visits should be avoided.

Purpose:  The aim of this guideline was to find evidence on whether carrying out Doppler examinations and CTGs in low-risk cohorts of pregnant women improves outcomes., Methods:  First, a systematic search for guidelines was carried out. Identified guidelines were evaluated using the DELPHI instrument of the AWMF. Three guidelines were found to be suitable to evaluate CTG. Two DEGUM best practice guidelines were judged suitable to describe the methods. All studies on this issue were additionally analyzed using 8 PICO questions. A structured consensus of the participating professional societies was achieved using a nominal group process and a structured consensus conference moderated by an independent moderator., Recommendations:  No antepartum Doppler sonography examinations should be carried out in low-risk cohorts in the context of antenatal care. No antepartum CTG should be carried out in low-risk cohorts. NOTE:  The guideline will be published simultaneously in the official journals of both professional societies (i. e., Geburtshilfe und Frauenheilkunde for the DGGG and Ultraschall in der Medizin/European Journal of Ultrasound for the DEGUM)., Competing Interests: The conflicts of interest of all the authors are listed in the German-language long version of the guideline., (Thieme. All rights reserved.)

Introduction: Previous studies indicated an association between fetal overgrowth and maternal obesity independent of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM). However, the underlying mechanisms beyond this possible association are not completely understood. This study investigates metabolic changes and their association with fetal and neonatal biometry in overweight and obese mothers who remained normal glucose-tolerant during gestation., Material and Methods: In this prospective cohort study 893 women who did not develop GDM were categorized according to their pregestational body mass index (BMI): 570 were normal weight, 220 overweight and 103 obese. Study participants received a broad metabolic evaluation before 16 weeks and were followed up until delivery to assess glucose levels during the oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) at mid-gestation as well as fetal biometry in ultrasound and pregnancy outcome data., Results: Increased maternal BMI was associated with an adverse metabolic profile at the beginning of pregnancy, including a lower degree of insulin sensitivity (as assessed by the quantitative insulin sensitivity check index) in overweight (mean difference: -2.4, 95% CI -2.9 to -1.9, p < 0.001) and obese (mean difference: -4.3, 95% CI -5.0 to -3.7, p < 0.001) vs normal weight women. Despite not fulfilling diagnosis criteria for GDM, overweight and obese mothers showed higher glucose levels at fasting and during the OGTT. Finally, we observed increased measures of fetal subcutaneous tissue thickness in ultrasound as well as higher proportions of large-for-gestational-age infants in overweight (18.9%, odds ratio [OR] 1.74, 95% CI 1.08-2.78, p = 0.021) and obese mothers (21.0%, OR 1.99, 95% CI 1.06-3.59, p = 0.027) vs normal weight controls (11.8%). The risk for large for gestational age was further determined by OGTT glucose (60 min: OR 1.11, 95% CI 1.02-1.21, p = 0.013; 120 min: OR 1.13, 95% CI 1.02-1.27, P = 0.025, for the increase of 10 mg/dL) and maternal triglyceride concentrations (OR 1.11, 95% CI 1.01-1.22, p = 0.036, for the increase of 20 mg/dL)., Conclusions: Mothers affected by overweight or obesity but not GDM had a higher risk for fetal overgrowth. An impaired metabolic milieu related to increased maternal BMI as well as higher glucose levels at mid-gestation may impact fetal overgrowth in women still in the range of normal glucose tolerance., (© 2023 The Authors. Acta Obstetricia et Gynecologica Scandinavica published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Nordic Federation of Societies of Obstetrics and Gynecology (NFOG).)

Introduction: Women with migration background present specific challenges related to risk stratification and care of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM). Therefore, this study aims to investigate the role of ethnic origin on the risk of developing GDM in a multiethnic European cohort., Methods: Pregnant women were included at a median gestational age of 12.9 weeks and assigned to the geographical regions of origin: Caucasian Europe ( n  = 731), Middle East and North Africa countries (MENA, n  = 195), Asia ( n  = 127) and Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA, n  = 48). At the time of recruitment maternal characteristics, glucometabolic parameters and dietary habits were assessed. An oral glucose tolerance test was performed in mid-gestation for GDM diagnosis., Results: Mothers with Caucasian ancestry were older and had higher blood pressure and an adverse lipoprotein profile as compared to non-Caucasian mothers, whereas non-Caucasian women (especially those from MENA countries) had a higher BMI and were more insulin resistant. Moreover, we found distinct dietary habits. Non-Caucasian mothers, especially those from MENA and Asian countries, had increased incidence of GDM as compared to the Caucasian population (OR 1.87, 95%CI 1.40 to 2.52, p  < 0.001). Early gestational fasting glucose and insulin sensitivity were consistent risk factors across different ethnic populations, however, pregestational BMI was of particular importance in Asian mothers., Discussion: Prevalence of GDM was higher among women from MENA and Asian countries, who already showed adverse glucometabolic profiles at early gestation. Fasting glucose and early gestational insulin resistance (as well as higher BMI in women from Asia) were identified as important risk factors in Caucasian and non-Caucasian patients., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest. The author(s) declared that they were an editorial board member of Frontiers, at the time of submission. This had no impact on the peer review process and the final decision., (Copyright © 2024 Kotzaeridi, Monod, Linder, Eppel, Seidel, Feichtinger, Mosimann, Filippi, Wegener, Henrich, Tura and Göbl.)

Introduction: Switzerland was amongst the first countries to offer cell-free fetal DNA (cffDNA) testing covered by the health insurance to pregnant women with a risk ≥ 1:1000 for trisomies at first trimester combined screening (FTCS). The aim of this study is to evaluate the implementation of this contingent model in a single tertiary referral centre and its effect on gestational age at diagnosing trisomy 21., Materials and Methods: Between July 2015 and December 2020 all singleton pregnancies at 11-14 weeks of gestation without major fetal malformation were included and stratified according to their risk at FTCS. Statistical analysis was performed by GraphPad Version 9.1 for Windows., Results: 4424 pregnancies were included. Of 166 (3.8%) pregnancies with a NT ≥ 3.5 mm and/or a risk ≥ 1:10 at FCTS, 130 (78.3%) opted for direct invasive testing. 803 (18.2%) pregnancies had an intermediate risk, 692 (86.2%) of them opted for cffDNA first. 3455 (78.1%) pregnancies had a risk < 1:1000. 63 fetuses were diagnosed with trisomy 21, 47 (74.6%) directly by invasive procedures after FTCS, 16 (25.4%) by cffDNA first., Conclusions: Most women choose cffDNA or invasive testing as second tier according to national guidelines. Despite the delay associated with cffDNA testing after FCTS, 75% of all trisomy 21 are still diagnosed in the first trimester with this contingent screening model., Competing Interests: Conflict of Interest Florent Badiqué and Lorenz Risch work in one of the laboratories providing the cffDNA results, however they were not involved in the analysis of the results., (The Author(s). This is an open access article published by Thieme under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonDerivative-NonCommercial-License, permitting copying and reproduction so long as the original work is given appropriate credit. Contents may not be used for commercial purposes, or adapted, remixed, transformed or built upon. (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).)

Purpose The aim of this guideline was to find evidence on whether carrying out Doppler examinations and CTGs in low-risk cohorts of pregnant women improves outcomes. Methods First, a systematic search for guidelines was carried out. Identified guidelines were evaluated using the DELPHI instrument of the AWMF. Three guidelines were found to be suitable to evaluate CTG. Two DEGUM best practice guidelines were judged suitable to describe the methods. All studies on this issue were additionally analyzed using 8 PICO questions. A structured consensus of the participating professional societies was achieved using a nominal group process and a structured consensus conference moderated by an independent moderator. Recommendations No antepartum Doppler sonography examinations should be carried out in low-risk cohorts in the context of antenatal care. No antepartum CTG should be carried out in low-risk cohorts. Note The guideline will be published simultaneously in the official journals of both professional societies (i.e., Geburtshilfe und Frauenheilkunde for the DGGG and Ultraschall in der Medizin/European Journal of Ultrasound for the DEGUM)., Competing Interests: Conflict of Interest/Interessenkonflikt The conflicts of interest of all the authors are listed in the German-language long version of the guideline./ Die Interessenkonflikte der Autorinnen und Autoren sind in der Langfassung der Leitlinie aufgelistet., (Thieme. All rights reserved.)