Study of Relationship between the Umbilical Artery Resistive Index and Fetal Growth

Abstract

The clinical application of ultrasound in obstetrics includes confirmation of pregnancy and multiple gestation and estimation of fetal weight, localization of placenta and monitoring of fetal wellbeing. The aim of this study was to find out the relationship between the umbilical artery resistive index and the estimated fetal weight and gestational age at third trimester. The study conducted at Alamal and Ribat University Hospital, 50 women with singleton pregnancy in the third trimester examined by ultrasound using curvilinear probe range of frequency between 3.5- 6MHz, to find out the estimated fetal weight using three fetal biometry(bipartitely diameter. Abdominal circumference, and femur length) then Doppler technique was applied to measure the umbilical artery resistive index. The results revealed that there was a significant negative correlation between the gestational age and the umbilical artery resistive index. Furthermore, inverse correlation between the fetal weight and umbilical artery resistive index was observed. It is of greater benefits to use Doppler ultrasound examination in third trimester of pregnancy to estimate fetal weight for helping the obstetrician in deciding what type of delivery will be used and to identify if the newborn need nursery admission.