Arterial, venous and intracardiac parameters in growth-restricted fetuses: associations with adverse perinatal outcome

The objective was to evaluate the associations between arterial, venous and intracardiac parameters and adverse perinatal outcome in growth restricted fetuses. Fetuses beyond the 26th week of gestation with an abdominal circumference below the 5th percentile were included in this prospective study. The last Doppler measurement of the umbilical artery, middle cerebral artery, ductus venosus, outflow tract waveforms, atrioventricular flow and ventricular shortening fraction before delivery and adverse perinatal outcome were used for univariate (Fisher's exact test) and multivariate (stepwise logistic regression) statistical analysis. Adverse perinatal outcome was defined as the following: umbilical artery pH