Transvaginal color and pulsed Doppler study of uterine blood flow in the first and early second trimesters of pregnancy: normal versus abnormal.

Transvaginal color Doppler ultrasonography was used to study 131 normal early pregnancies, 30 molar pregnancies, 20 threatened abortions, two blighted ova, and five pregnancies with intramural myoma. Four separate parts of the maternal circulation were studied: uterine, arcuate, radial, and spiral arteries. There was statistical difference in the RI and PI among uterine, arcuate, radial, and spiral arteries (P < 0.001) in all observed groups of patients except those with intramural myoma. When the same part of the maternal circulation was compared among different groups of patients, the following results reached statistical significance: uterine artery in normal and molar pregnancy (P < 0.001); arcuate artery in normal and molar pregnancy (P < 0.001); radial artery in normal and molar pregnancy (P < 0.001) and in normal pregnancy and threatened abortion (P < 0.01); spiral artery in normal and molar pregnancy (P < 0.001), in normal pregnancy and threatened abortion (P < 0.01), and in molar pregnancy and threatened abortion (P < 0.01). The standard values of blood flow are different in normal and in some cases of abnormal early pregnancy (molar pregnancy, threatened abortion).     

早孕期绒毛膜隆起的超声表现及临床意义

目的探讨早孕期绒毛膜隆起的超声特点及其临床意义。方法回顾性分析在我院行早孕期经阴道超声检查的孕妇33 691例,其中绒毛膜隆起60例,剔除失访病例,共38例纳入绒毛膜隆起组;绒毛膜下血肿2257例,随机抽取其中365例,剔除失访病例后,共220例纳入绒毛膜下血肿组;从余下正常孕妇中随机抽取365例,剔除失访病例后,共235例纳入正常早孕组;比较各组超声图像特点;追踪绒毛膜隆起和绒毛膜下血肿孕妇妊娠结局,分析绒毛膜隆起对妊娠预后的影响。结果绒毛膜隆起表现为妊娠早期由底蜕膜面绒毛膜向妊娠囊内的局部不规则凸起,内无血流信号。38例绒毛膜隆起组中,8例胚胎停育;220例绒毛膜下血肿组中,17例胚胎停育;235例正常早孕组中,21例胚胎停育;各组胚胎停育发生率分别为21.05%、7.72%及8.93%;绒毛膜隆起组胚胎停育发生率高于绒毛膜下血肿组及正常早孕组,差异均有统计学意义(P=0.010、0.025);绒毛膜下血肿组胚胎停育发生率与正常早孕组比较,差异无统计学意义(P=0.641)。结论超声对早孕期诊断绒毛膜隆起有一定的临床应用价值。早孕期绒毛膜隆起可影响胎儿发育,造成停育。     

Assessment of uterine artery blood flow in normal first-trimester pregnancies and in those complicated by uterine bleeding.

OBJECTIVE: To compare uterine artery blood flow in normal first-trimester pregnancies with those complicated by uterine bleeding. METHODS: Uterine artery blood flow was investigated by transvaginal color Doppler in 46 pregnant women affected by uterine bleeding and in a control group of 35 women with normal intrauterine pregnancy. Gestational age ranged from the 6th to the 12th week. Three blood flow values were calculated, the pulsatility index, the resistance index and the peak systolic velocity. Results were compared between the two groups. RESULTS: Of the 46 patients affected by uterine bleeding, 18 had an incomplete miscarriage, eight had a blighted ovum, five had a missed miscarriage and 15 continued their pregnancy until term and delivered liveborn infants. No significant differences were found in any of the three vascular indices between the normal and the pathological groups of patients. Uterine artery pulsatility and resistance indices decreased with gestational age in both normal and abnormal pregnancies but this change was not statistically significant. The peak systolic velocity significantly increased with gestational age in the control group but not in the pathological group. In patients with a retroplacental hematoma, uterine vascular resistance appeared higher than in those without a hematoma, while the peak systolic velocity showed no difference between the two groups. CONCLUSION: Doppler analysis of the uterine artery blood flow is unlikely to have a clinical role in the management of early pregnancies complicated by uterine bleeding.     

Prognosis of very large first-trimester hematomas.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to evaluate the outcome of pregnancies complicated by very large hematomas in the first trimester. METHODS: Between January 2001 and January 2006, 8085 patients between 5 and 14 weeks' gestation underwent routine first-trimester ultrasonographic examinations at our practice. Of these, 30 patients had a "very large" (> 50% of the gestational sac) intrauterine hematoma. These 30 patients were further classified according to pregnancy outcome (normal or adverse), maternal age, vaginal bleeding, crown-rump length, gestational age at diagnosis of the hematoma, and position and location of the hematoma. P < .05 was considered statistically significant. RESULTS: Six patients were excluded (4 were still pregnant, and 2 were lost to follow-up), leaving 24 patients eligible for analysis, of which 11 (46%) had adverse outcomes and 13 (54%) had normal outcomes. The group with adverse outcomes had a significantly lower gestational age at diagnosis than the second group (7 weeks [range, 5.7-8.4 weeks] versus 8.4 weeks [range, 6.2-14 weeks]; P = .0227), but crown-rump length, vaginal bleeding, and position and location of the hematoma were similar. CONCLUSIONS: Very large hematomas were associated with adverse outcome in 46% of the pregnancies. Vaginal bleeding was not associated with a poor prognosis. Neither position nor location of the placental hematoma was related to the outcome; however, when the hematoma was diagnosed at an early gestational age, the outcomes were worse.     

First-trimester uteroplacental and fetal blood flow velocity waveforms in normally developing fetuses: a longitudinal study.

Our objectives were to obtain a complete overview of uteroplacental and fetal hemodynamics early in pregnancy and to record flow velocity waveforms in the vitelline artery using color Doppler equipment. Flow velocity waveforms were recorded in 18 uneventful pregnancies between 6 and 16 weeks of gestation. Doppler recordings were made of the left and right uterine and spiral arteries from 6 weeks of gestation onwards. Recordings of c the umbilical artery, fetal aorta and fetal cerebral arteries started in weeks 7, 8 and 9, respectively. Where possible, the vitelline arteries were also recorded. The resistance and pulsatility indices and 95% confidence intervals for predictions were calculated.For the uterine and spiral arteries, characteristics of the waveforms were assessed. The resistance index of both uterine and spiral arteries gradually decreased with advancing pregnancy. For the umbilical artery, aorta and cerebral artery, the earliest possible Doppler recordings and characteristics of the waveforms were established. The pulsatility index of the umbilical arteries and fetal aorta showed a sharp decrease towards the 16th week. The pulsatility index of the fetal cerebral artery showed only a mild decrease towards week 16. In a longitudinal analysis, there were significant changes of the resistance and pulsatility indices for each patient. In the vitelline artery, recordings were possible in eight out of 18 fetuses, and only in weeks 7 and 8 of gestation. The pulsatility index showed a wide range and was not dependent on menstrual age.Knowledge of the normal flow velocity waveforms in the maternal uteroplacental and fetal circulations early in pregnancy may lead to a better understanding of physiological mechanisms.     

Doppler ultrasonography in early pregnancy does not predict adverse pregnancy outcome.

A transvaginal color and pulsed Doppler study was performed on 330 pregnancies at 7-16 weeks of gestation. Blood flow velocity waveforms were recorded from the main uterine arteries and their branches (arcuate and trophoblastic vessels) and from the umbilical arteries. The systolic/diastolic velocity ratio and the pulsatility index were calculated as indices of vascular resistance, respectively, at uterine and umbilical levels. A total of 282 patients had an uneventful pregnancy outcome, 19 developed an early pregnancy failure (missed abortion, n = 8; anembryonic pregnancy, n = 11) and 29 developed later complications such us hypertension (n = 10), fetal growth retardation (n = 13) or both n = 6). In normal pregnancies, Doppler-measured vascular resistances significantly decreased with advancing gestation at the level of both uterine and umbilical circulations. When the Doppler indices of the patients with early pregnancy failure or with later complications were compared to those of normal pregnancies, no evident differences were found in either of the vascular districts considered. However, in the patients who developed hypertension and/or fetal growth retardation, abnormal velocity waveforms were frequently present in uterine and umbilical arteries during second- or third-trimester examinations. Our results suggest a limited clinical value of Doppler velocimetry in early pregnancy.     

Doppler examination of uteroplacental circulation in early pregnancy: Can it predict adverse outcome?

PURPOSE: To determine whether spectral Doppler measurements obtained from bilateral uterine, arcuate, radial, and spiral arteries in early gestation correlate with adverse pregnancy outcome. METHODS: One hundred five pregnant women underwent transvaginal Doppler sonographic examination of uteroplacental circulation at 6-12 weeks' gestation. Resistance index (RI) and pulsatility index (PI) of bilateral uterine, arcuate, radial, and spiral arteries were measured. Diameters of gestational sac (GS) and yolk sac, crown-rump length (CRL), GS-CRL difference, and GS/CRL ratio were also recorded. Correlation was made with pregnancy outcome. RESULTS: Sixteen women developed adverse pregnancy outcome. In these women, right uterine artery PI and RI were significantly higher than in women with normal obstetrical outcome. Spiral artery PI and RI values were also higher, but the difference was not statistically significant. GS-CRL difference, GS/CRL ratio, and yolk sac diameters were significantly lower in this group. CONCLUSION: Transvaginal Doppler examination can detect hemodynamic changes in uteroplacental circulation associated with subsequent adverse pregnancy outcome.     

Yolk sac and umbilicoplacental hemodynamics during early human embryonic development.

OBJECTIVES: To determine the relationship between the yolk sac and umbilicoplacental circulations during the first trimester of pregnancy. DESIGN: Sixteen normal singleton pregnancies were included in this longitudinal study. Transvaginal ultrasonography with color and pulsed Doppler was performed at 5+, 7+, 8+ and 10+ gestational weeks. Fetal heart rate and blood velocity waveforms of yolk sac, umbilical and chorionic arteries were obtained. RESULTS: The detection rate of arterial blood flow in the yolk sac increased significantly from 5+ (2/16) to 7+ gestational weeks (12/16). Thereafter, it declined significantly and no arterial blood flow was detected at 10+ weeks. When the arterial blood flow was observable in the yolk sac, all waveforms consisted of continuous diastolic blood flow. There were no significant changes in peak systolic velocity (PSV), time-averaged maximum velocity (TAMXV), pulsatility index (PI) or resistance index (RI) values of the yolk sac arteries during the study period. In umbilical arteries, blood flow was detected in two of 16 patients at 5+ weeks and in all cases thereafter. The mean umbilical artery PSV (SD) increased from 7.2 cm/s (3.7) at 8+ weeks to 13.0 cm/s (2.9) at 10+ weeks (p = 0.001). No changes in PI values were found and the absence of diastolic flow was typical of the umbilical artery during the study period. In chorionic arteries, blood flow was detected in six out of 16 subjects at the 5+ week, in 14 out of 16 patients at the 7+ week and in every case thereafter. No changes in PSV or TAMXV values were found. CONCLUSIONS: Our results showed that the arterial signals in the yolk sac circulation disappeared and the umbilicoplacental circulation increased between 8+ and 10+ weeks of gestation. This indicates that the placenta replaces the yolk sac as an essential source of blood supply to the embryo at that time.     

剖宫产术后子宫切口瘢痕妊娠介入治疗价值探讨

目的：探讨经子宫动脉介入化疗栓塞治疗剖宫产切口瘢痕妊娠的应用价值。方法：回顾分析本院自2006年7月至2007年12月子宫动脉介入治疗的15例剖宫产切口瘢痕妊娠病例资料。结果：15例介入治疗均成功,其中8例化疗及明胶海绵栓塞后加用弹簧圈栓塞,术后阴道流血停止,孕囊明显缩小,血清人绒毛膜促性腺激素明显下降。术后清宫无大出血,病理检查示子宫瘢痕部位绒毛、蜕膜或胎盘组织,有变性、坏死。结论：经子宫动脉介入治疗剖宫产瘢痕妊娠,能有效预防和控制出血,减小清宫危险,并保留子宫,是剖宫产瘢痕妊娠安全、有效的治疗方法之一。     

First trimester bleeding evaluation

First trimester bleeding is a common presentation in the emergency room. Ultrasound evaluation of patients with first trimester bleeding is the mainstay of the examination. The important causes of first trimester bleeding include spontaneous abortion, ectopic pregnancy, and gestational trophoblastic disease; 50% to 70% of spontaneous abortions are due to genetic abnormalities. In normal pregnancy, the serum beta hCG doubles or increases by at least 66% in 48 hours. The intrauterine GS should be visualized by TVUS with beta hCG levels between 1000 to 2000 mIU/mL IRP. Visualization of the yolk sac within the gestational sac is definitive evidence of intrauterine pregnancy. Embryonic cardiac activity can be identified with CRL of >5 mm. A GS with a mean sac diameter (MSD) of 8 mm or more without a yolk sac and a GS with an MSD of 16 mm or more without an embryo, are important predictors of a nonviable gestation. A GS with a mean sac diameter of 16 mm or more (TVUS) without an embryo is a sonographic sign of anembryonic gestation. A difference of <5 mm between the mean sac diameter and the CRL carries an 80% risk of spontaneous abortion. Approximately 20% of women with first trimester bleeding have a subchorionic hematoma. The presence of an extra ovarian adnexal mass is the most common sonographic finding in ectopic pregnancy. Other findings include the tubal ring sign and hemorrhage. About 26% of ectopic pregnancies have normal pelvic sonograms on TVUS. Complete hydatidiform mole presents with a complex intrauterine mass with multiple anechoic areas of varying sizes (Snowstorm appearance). Twenty-five percent to 65% of molar pregnancies have associated theca-leutin cysts. Arteriovenous malformation of the uterus is a rare but life-threatening cause of vaginal bleeding in the first trimester. The sonographic findings in a patient with first trimester bleeding should be correlated with serum beta hCG levels to arrive at an appropriate clinical diagnosis.     

Diagnosis and management of ectopic pregnancy

Ectopic pregnancy is a high-risk condition that occurs in 1.9 percent of reported pregnancies. The condition is the leading cause of pregnancy-related death in the first trimester. If a woman of reproductive age presents with abdominal pain, vaginal bleeding, syncope, or hypotension, the physician should perform a pregnancy test. If the patient is pregnant, the physician should perform a work-up to detect possible ectopic or ruptured ectopic pregnancy. Prompt ultrasound evaluation is key in diagnosing ectopic pregnancy. Equivocal ultrasound results should be combined with quantitative beta subunit of human chorionic gonadotropin levels. If a patient has a beta subunit of human chorionic gonadotropin level of 1,500 mIU per mL or greater, but the transvaginal ultrasonography does not show an intrauterine gestational sac, ectopic pregnancy should be suspected. Diagnostic uterine curettage may be appropriate in patients who are hemodynamically stable and whose beta subunit of human chorionic gonadotropin levels are not increasing as expected. Appropriate treatment for patients with nonruptured ectopic pregnancy may include expectant management, medical management with methotrexate, or surgery. Expectant management is appropriate only when beta subunit of human chorionic gonadotropin levels are low and declining. Initial levels determine the success of medical treatment. Surgical treatment is appropriate if ruptured ectopic pregnancy is suspected and if the patient is hemodynamically unstable.     

Uterine artery Doppler patterns in abdominal pregnancy.

Changes in the uterine artery blood flow waveform during pregnancy have been the subject of several studies and are frequently attributed to trophoblastic invasion of the myometrium. We report on a case of a third-trimester abdominal pregnancy in which we performed Doppler velocimetry of the uterine arteries and observed low-resistance flow and absence of notching bilaterally. During the 29th week of gestation, there was an increase in umbilical artery resistance and a decrease in the middle cerebral artery resistance, so we chose to deliver the baby at that stage. The patient was discharged from hospital 7 days following delivery and the child was discharged having gained the necessary weight. Our findings suggest that modification of the uterine artery waveform may occur independently of trophoblast invasion of the spiral arteries. Other theories that may explain the changes in the uterine artery waveform during pregnancy are discussed.     

The role of transvaginal sonography in chorionic villi sampling

Vaginosonography has the potential of improving not only accurate diagnosis preceeding chorionic villus sampling but also the sampling procedure itself. The vaginosonographic diagnostic landmarks of early pregnancies are the contact area between the amnion and the chorion, the insertion of the umbilical cord, the yolk sac and the decidua-trophoblast complex. The occurrence of a "Swiss-cheese-pattern" in the latter structure is a strong hint for an unfavourable outcome of early pregnancy. Vaginosonographically guided puncture is a promising approach for chorionic villus biopsy. The punturing facilities are firmly attached to the high resolution vaginal ultrasound probe. Thus, precise ultrasound-guided puncture penetrating the vaginal skin and the uterine wall in the shortest possible distance has become possible.     

Sonography of pregnancies with first-trimester bleeding and a small intrauterine gestational sac without a demonstrable embryo.

OBJECTIVE: This was a prospective observational cohort study to evaluate the outcome and prognostic criteria of pregnancies with first-trimester bleeding and a gestational sac 相似文献   

Velamentous insertion--epidemiology and clinical aspects of the pathological insertion of the umbilical cord

Among 9460 birth an incidence of 1.6% of velamentous insertion of the umbilical cord is recorded and the clinical relevance of this anomaly is examined. Apart from statistical confirmation of well-known connections between membranous insertion of the umbilical cord on the one hand, and malformations, multiple pregnancies and bleeding sub partu on the other hand, the present investigation is mainly concerned with premature births and/or placental insufficiency in the case of velamentous insertion of the umbilical cord, which is associated with "late premature births" in the 35th, 36th and 37th week of pregnancy as characteristic finding.     

Vaginal bleeding before 20 weeks gestation due to placental abruption leading to disseminated intravascular coagulation and fetal loss after appearing to satisfy criteria for routine threatened abortion: a case report and brief review of the literature

We present a case of placental abruption with concomitant disseminated intravascular coagulation in a woman who presented with vaginal bleeding. A 32-year-old pregnant woman at 17 and 4/7 weeks gestation with a 1-month history of intermittent abdominal pain presented to our Emergency Department (ED) with 1 h of vaginal bleeding. Upon initial history, the patient reported that she was diagnosed with “blood behind the placenta” the day before and was discharged on pelvic precautions. An ED ultrasound confirmed the sub-amniotic hematoma with placental hematoma and a viable intrauterine fetus. A low fibrinogen level was suggested for disseminated intravascular coagulation and increasing hemorrhage necessitated dilation and evacuation and multiple units of blood products on an emergent basis. Only a few cases have been described in the literature demonstrating disseminated intravascular coagulation in patients at fewer than 20 weeks gestation with routine ultrasound findings of live intrauterine pregnancy and subchorionic hemorrhage.     

Sonography in first trimester bleeding

Vaginal bleeding is the most common cause of presentation to the emergency department in the first trimester. Approximately half of patients with first trimester vaginal bleeding will lose the pregnancy. Clinical assessment is difficult, and sonography is necessary to determine if a normal fetus is present and alive and to exclude other causes of bleeding (eg, ectopic or molar pregnancy). Diagnosis of a normal intrauterine pregnancy not only helps the physician in terms of management but also gives psychologic relief to the patient. Improved ultrasound technology and high-frequency endovaginal transducers have enabled early diagnosis of abnormal and ectopic pregnancies, decreasing maternal morbidity and mortality. The main differential considerations of first trimester bleeding are spontaneous abortion, ectopic pregnancy, or gestational trophoblastic disease. This article reviews the causes of first trimester bleeding and the sonographic findings, including normal features of first trimester pregnancy.     

Fetal loss in symptomatic first-trimester pregnancy with documented yolk sac intrauterine pregnancy

Background

The possibility of spontaneous miscarriage is a common concern among pregnant women in the emergency department (ED).

Objective

This study sought to determine fetal outcomes for women following ED evaluation for first-trimester abdominopelvic pain or vaginal bleeding who had an intrauterine pregnancy (IUP) on ultrasound before a visible fetal pole (“yolk sac IUP”).

Methods

A retrospective chart review of consecutive ED charts from December 2005 to September 2006 identified patients with a yolk sac IUP. Demographic data, obstetric/gynecologic history, and presenting symptoms were obtained. Outcomes were determined via computerized records. Fetal loss was diagnosed by falling β-human chorionic gonadotropin or pathology specimen. Live birth was diagnosed by viable fetus at 20-week ultrasound or delivery.

Results

A total of 131 patients were enrolled in this study. Of these, 14 were lost to follow-up (12%), leaving 117 patient encounters. Of the 117 women, 82 carried their pregnancies to at least 20-week gestation. Thirty-five patients miscarried. Fetal loss rate by chief complaint were as follows: 8 of 46 patients presenting with pain only, 14 of 34 presenting with vaginal bleeding only, and 13 of 37 with both vaginal bleeding and pain.

Conclusion

Seventy percent of women diagnosed with a yolk sac IUP in the ED carried their pregnancy to at least 20 weeks. The remaining women (30%) experienced fetal loss. Vaginal bleeding (with or without pain) increased the rate of fetal loss compared with women with pain only. These data will assist the emergency physician in counseling women with symptomatic first-trimester pregnancies.     

Correlation of Doppler and placental immunohistochemical features in normal and intrauterine growth-retarded fetuses.

The aim of this study was to correlate and compare Doppler and anatomical placental findings obtained from 48 normal and 35 intrauterine growth-retarded (IUGR) fetuses. The IUGR group consisted of 19 fetuses from pregnancies complicated by pre-eclampsia and 16 from healthy mothers. Color Doppler evaluation of umbilical, spiral and uterine arteries was performed. Placental specimens from both normal and growth-retarded fetuses were obtained at the time of delivery. Placental specimens were evaluated using histochemical and immunohistochemical techniques. A progressive decrease in the pulsatility index was observed in umbilical, spiral and uterine arteries throughout pregnancy in the normal-growth fetuses. High umbilical artery pulsatility index values were obtained in 29 out of the 35 growth-retarded fetuses, six of them showing absent or reversed end-diastolic umbilical artery flow pattern. A total of 13 IUGR fetuses showed high resistance uterine artery flow velocity waveforms. Increased pulsatility index values were obtained from the spiral arteries of 16 growth-retarded fetuses. Abnormal histological and histochemical placental patterns were observed in all the growth-retarded fetuses with umbilical artery Doppler abnormalities. The presence of a peculiar dendritic cell subpopulation, strongly resembling the Langerhans cells, expressing the HLA-DR+/CD1+ phenotype, was detected in all growth-retarded fetuses, whether there was maternal pathology or not. Our data show uterine and spiral artery data as being ineffective in the monitoring of IUGR fetuses. The placental extracellular matrix seems to play an important role in the regulation of the umbilical circulation. The presence of CD1+ cells as a sign of a possible immunological mechanism in the pathogenesis of the intrauterine growth retardation is discussed.     

Prenatal diagnosis of an intertwin membrane hematoma

We report a case of a 26‐year‐old woman, gravida 2, para 1, with a dichorionic diamniotic twin pregnancy at 33 weeks of gestation with a 1‐day history of mild vaginal bleeding and irregular uterine activity. Ultrasonography showed 18 × 15 × 3‐cm‐sized complex hypoechoic mass located in the dividing intertwin membrane. Based on this finding, the diagnosis of an intertwin membrane hematoma was made. This unusual sonographic diagnosis was confirmed during the cesarean section. In the case of dichorionic twin pregnancy, partial placental abruption can lead to a subclinical intertwin membrane hematoma. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Clin Ultrasound 38:397‐399, 2010