Intima-media thickness measurements in the fetus and mother during pregnancy:a feasibility study

Fetal intima-media thickness (IMT) has been suggested as a marker of pre-clinical atherosclerosis, and maternal IMT could be altered through dynamic circumstances related to pregnancy. We investigated the feasi- bility of measurement of IMT at four pre-defined fetal and four pre-defined maternal arterial locations to deter- mine vascular changes that could be associated with impaired vascular function. IMTwas measured from the first to third trimester (12-34 wk), in 38 low-risk pregnancies. We imaged a 10-mm region of interest using a Mindray (Shenzhen, China)high-resolution ultrasoundmachine withautomated IMTmeasurementsoftware.Fetal abdom- inal aorta IMTwas measurable during the second trimester in 71% and during the third trimester in 100% of the case, and umbilical artery IMTwas measurable in 50% and 82% of cases during the second and third trimesters, respectively. Fetal IMT measurements were not possible during the first trimester. It was not often feasible to mea- sure the IMT of the fetal common carotid artery, fetal renal artery and maternal iliac artery (maximal 20% of cases). Maternal common carotid artery, abdominal aorta and uterine artery IMTs were measurable throughout pregnancy. There was a significant relation between gestational age and IMTin the umbilical artery (p 50.03) and a significant relation between body mass index and IMT in the maternal common carotid artery (p 5 0.01). IMT measurements are feasible in some maternal and fetal vessels of interest. Further studies are underway to obtain more insight into vascular development during normal and pathologic pregnancies. (E-mail: roland.devlieger@ uzleuven.be) 2014 World Federation for Ultrasound in Medicine & Biology.