The Role of Uterine Artery Doppler in the Prediction of Pre-eclampsia.

Background: The Doppler technique is a noninvasive method for evaluating the blood flow in the fetus and placenta. It is a potential screening tool for identifying pregnancies at higher risk of developing preeclampsia. This study aimed to identify any abnormalities in uterine artery Doppler among pregnant females between 19 and 26 weeks of gestation that may indicate potential complications like preeclampsia. Methods: The study was conducted at Zagazig University Hospital and El-Galaa Teaching Hospital, involving 150 pregnant women attending the antenatal care clinic. The participants had a gestational age between 19 and 26 weeks and were assessed and monitored using Doppler. Results: Out of the 150 pregnant patients enrolled in the study, 20 cases (13.3%) developed preeclampsia. Among these cases, 12 (8%) experienced perinatal complications, including Intrauterine fetal death (IUFD), intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR), antepartum hemorrhage, and postpartum hemorrhage. IUFD and IUGR were reported in 4 (2.7%) cases each, antepartum hemorrhage in 3 (2%) cases, and postpartum hemorrhage in 1 case (0.667%). We observed a significant increase in the mean uterine artery Resistance index (RI) and Pulsatility index (PI) in women who developed preeclampsia compared to those who did not (p<0.001). Conclusions: Uterine artery Doppler is an easy, fast, and non-invasive screening test that may add help in preeclampsia prediction. RI was a significant predictor for Uterine artery Doppler at a cutoff value of >0.58 with AUC 0.951 with 95% Sensitivity and 93.8% Specificity. PI was a significant predictor for Uterine artery Doppler at a cutoff value of >1.1 with AUC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]