Obstetrics and Gynaecology - Research Publications
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ItemAssociation between timing of diagnosis of trisomy 21, 18, and 13 and maternal socio-economic status in Victoria, Australia: A population-based cohort study from 2015 to 2016(WILEY, 2019-12)OBJECTIVES: To explore the association between timing of diagnosis of common autosomal trisomies, maternal age, and socio-economic status (SES). DESIGN: Retrospective study of cytogenetic diagnoses of trisomy 21 (T21), trisomy 18 (T18), and trisomy 13 (T13) in Victoria, Australia, in 2015 to 2016, stratified by timing (prenatal less than 17 weeks gestation, prenatal including or greater than or 17 weeks gestation, and postnatal before 12 months of age), maternal age, and SES region. Utilisation of prenatal testing following a live-born T21 infant was ascertained via record linkage. RESULTS: Among 160 230 total births were 571 diagnoses of T21 and 246 of T18/T13. The overall and live birth prevalences of T21 were 3.56 and 0.47 per 1000 births, respectively. Compared with women from disadvantaged SES regions, women from high SES regions were more likely to have a prenatal diagnosis of a trisomy before 17 weeks than after (P < .01) and less likely to have a live-born T21 infant than a prenatal diagnosis (P < .01). There was a significant trend to higher live birth rates of T21 with lower SES (P = .004). The majority (68.5%) of women who gave birth to a live infant with T21 did not utilise prenatal testing. CONCLUSION: There is a significant relationship between lower SES, later prenatal diagnosis of trisomy, and higher live birth rate of T21 in Victoria.
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ItemThe gap between the aorta and the superior vena cava: A sonographic sign of persistent left superior vena cava and associated abnormalities.(Wiley, 2019-12)OBJECTIVES: To assess the distance between the right superior vena cava (SVC) and the aorta in fetuses with bilateral superior vena cava as a possible sonographic marker for this. METHODS: This was a nested case-control study including 20 cases of bilateral SVC and 40 gestational age-matched controls. The distance between the right SVC and the aorta was measured at the level of the three-vessel trachea view in stored images, as well as the diameters of the aorta and the right SVC. RESULTS: The distance between the aorta and the right SVC was significantly larger in the cases of a left SVC compared with controls, P < .001. A distance of 2.0 mm or more was found in 70% of the cases and 5% of the controls, with a gestational-age adjusted area under the receiver-operating characteristics (ROC) curve for the diagnosis of left SVC of 0.93 (95% CI 0.87-0.99). The aorta and the right SVC were significantly smaller in cases compared with controls, and there was a significant association with other cardiac and extracardiac abnormalities amongst cases of persistent left SVC. CONCLUSION: An increased distance between the aorta and the right SVC is associated with the diagnosis of bilateral SVC.
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ItemISUOG Practice Guidelines: ultrasound assessment of fetal biometry and growth.(Wiley, 2019-06)INTRODUCTION These Guidelines aim to describe appropriate assessment of fetal biometry and diagnosis of fetal growth disorders. These disorders consist mainly of fetal growth restriction (FGR), also referred to as intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) and often associated with small‐for‐gestational age (SGA), and large‐for‐gestational age (LGA), which may lead to fetal macrosomia; both have been associated with a variety of adverse maternal and perinatal outcomes. Screening for, and adequate management of, fetal growth abnormalities are essential components of antenatal care, and fetal ultrasound plays a key role in assessment of these conditions. The fetal biometric parameters measured most commonly are biparietal diameter (BPD), head circumference (HC), abdominal circumference (AC) and femur diaphysis length (FL). These biometric measurements can be used to estimate fetal weight (EFW) using various different formulae1. It is important to differentiate between the concept of fetal size at a given timepoint and fetal growth, the latter being a dynamic process, the assessment of which requires at least two ultrasound scans separated in time. Maternal history and symptoms, amniotic fluid assessment and Doppler velocimetry can provide additional information that may be used to identify fetuses at risk of adverse pregnancy outcome. Accurate estimation of gestational age is a prerequisite for determining whether fetal size is appropriate‐for‐gestational age (AGA). Except for pregnancies arising from assisted reproductive technology, the date of conception cannot be determined precisely. Clinically, most pregnancies are dated by the last menstrual period, though this may sometimes be uncertain or unreliable. Therefore, dating pregnancies by early ultrasound examination at 8–14 weeks, based on measurement of the fetal crown–rump length (CRL), appears to be the most reliable method to establish gestational age. Once the CRL exceeds 84 mm, HC should be used for pregnancy dating2–4. HC, with or without FL, can be used for estimation of gestational age from the mid‐trimester if a first‐trimester scan is not available and the menstrual history is unreliable. When the expected delivery date has been established by an accurate early scan, subsequent scans should not be used to recalculate the gestational age1. Serial scans can be used to determine if interval growth has been normal. In these Guidelines, we assume that the gestational age is known and has been determined as described above, the pregnancy is singleton and the fetal anatomy is normal. Details of the grades of recommendation used in these Guidelines are given in Appendix 1. Reporting of levels of evidence is not applicable to these Guidelines.
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ItemOptic nerve sonography and ophthalmic artery Doppler velocimetry in healthy pregnant women: an Australian cohort study(WILEY, 2019-11)PURPOSE: Maternal ocular sonography offers a window into cerebrovascular and intracranial pressure changes in pregnancy. This study aimed to determine the Doppler velocimetric variables of the ophthalmic artery, and the mean diameter of the optic nerve sheath (ONSD), in an Australian cohort of healthy pregnant women. METHODS: A prospective observational cohort study of healthy women with uncomplicated singleton pregnancies in the third trimester was undertaken in a tertiary maternity service. A single prenatal ultrasonographic examination was performed on all participants, with a postnatal examination performed on a subgroup with uncomplicated deliveries. RESULTS: Fifty women were examined at a mean gestation of 35 weeks. The mean ± SD Doppler variables in the ophthalmic artery were peak systolic velocity (PSV) 41.89 ± 13.13 cm/s, second peak velocity 20.63 ± 8.97 cm/s, end diastolic velocity 9.29 ± 5.13 cm/s, pulsatility index 1.97 ± 0.53, resistive index 0.78 ± 0.07, peak ratio (second peak velocity/PSV) 0.49 ± 0.12, while the mean ONSD was 4.34 ± 0.4 mm. None of these variables had a demonstrable relationship with gestation or mean arterial pressure (MAP), nor did the sheath diameter have a relationship with any of the Doppler variables. CONCLUSIONS: The ocular sonographic variables observed in this population are similar to those reported in other cohorts. No clear relationship could be identified in this cohort between ophthalmic artery Doppler variables and the ONSD, and between each of these variables and gestation or MAP.
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ItemReply.(Wiley, 2019-01)
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ItemISUOG Practice Guidelines: role of ultrasound in screening for and follow-up of pre-eclampsia.(Wiley, 2019-01)RESUMEN Pautas de práctica de ISUOG: la función del ultrasonido en la detección y seguimiento de la preeclampsia Introducción La hipertensión en el embarazo afecta hasta el 10% de las mujeres embarazadas y la incidencia global combinada de la preeclampsia (PE) es de aproximadamente el 3%. Las diferencias significativas entre los países desarrollados y en desarrollo pueden atribuirse a diferencias reales o a diferencias derivadas de la adquisición de datos. La PE y sus complicaciones contribuyen en gran medida a la morbilidad y mortalidad materna y perinatal en todo el mundo. Dado que la atención oportuna y efectiva puede mejorar los resultados de la PE, el desarrollo de estrategias eficaces de predicción y prevención ha sido uno de los principales objetivos de la atención prenatal y de la investigación. La PE es una enfermedad multisistémica de origen multifactorial: está relacionada con placentación defectuosa, estrés oxidativo, autoinmunidad, activación de plaquetas y trombina, inflamación intravascular, disfunción endotelial, desequilibrio en la angiogénesis y mala adaptación cardíaca materna. La invasión defectuosa de la placenta está fuertemente asociada con la mayoría de los casos de PE temprana y grave. En contraste, la placentación defectuosa parece ser menos importante para el desarrollo de la PE que se manifiesta más tarde en el embarazo, por ejemplo después de las 34 semanas. En comparación con los embarazos afectados por la enfermedad de aparición temprana, en aquellos complicados con PE a término o cerca de este, la frecuencia de anomalías histológicas de las placentas es significativamente menor, y los factores maternos (p. ej. el síndrome metabólico o la hipertensión crónica) tienen una importancia relativamente mayor. También se observan diferencias entre la PE de aparición temprana y la de aparición tardía en los factores de riesgo, la capacidad de respuesta vascular materna, el rendimiento del cribado y la eficacia de la prevención. El conocimiento cada vez mayor sobre la fisiopatología de la PE se refleja en las estrategias de cribado actuales, que se basan en el historial, la demografía, los biomarcadores (como la presión arterial) y el Doppler de la arteria uterina. Actualmente hay más de 10 000 artículos de PubMed relacionados con la detección de la PE, lo que indica el gran interés en este tema. Menos de una quinta parte de estos se refieren a la detección temprana, lo que constituye un avance de la última década. El objetivo de estas Pautas es revisar la evidencia más reciente y, en lo posible, proporcionar recomendaciones basadas en la evidencia con respecto a la función del ultrasonido en el cribado y seguimiento de la PE. Las Pautas se centran en los aspectos técnicos y clínicos del cribado, sin incluir los aspectos económicos y políticos de la salud, como la conveniencia y la rentabilidad del cribado. Además, estas Pautas se elaboraron partiendo del supuesto de que se dispone de los recursos necesarios para la realización del cribado y el seguimiento (equipo, examinadores y conocimientos especializados). Los pasos y procedimientos descritos en estas Pautas no tienen la intención de constituir un estándar legal para el servicio clínico.
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ItemInter-twin delivery interval, short-term perinatal outcomes and risk of caesarean for the second twin.(Wiley, 2019-06)OBJECTIVE: To examine the association between inter-twin delivery interval and short-term perinatal outcomes of the second twin after vaginal delivery of the first twin. METHODS: Retrospective cohort study including twin pregnancies with a vaginal delivery of the first twin between January 2011 and September 2017 in a tertiary hospital in Melbourne, Australia. The main outcome measure was a composite of adverse neonatal outcome (at least one of perinatal death, admission to neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), endotracheal intubation, Apgar <7 at five minutes and cord lactate >4.0 mmol/L). Proportions of adverse outcomes for the second twin were compared between groups of intervals ≤ or >10 and ≤ or >30 min. RESULTS: The composite adverse neonatal outcome occurred in 201 (58.2%) and a caesarean section occurred in seven cases (2%) of the 345 pregnancies included. Delivery interval was associated with higher cord lactate. Low Apgar scores were more frequent with intervals >30 min (17.9% vs 6.6%, P = 0.03), as well as caesarean section for the second twin (10.7% vs 1.3%, P = 0.01). Composite adverse outcome and admission to NICU were not significantly influenced by the delivery interval. Predictors of adverse outcome were gestational age, abnormal cardiotocography and breech delivery of the second twin. CONCLUSION: The inter-twin delivery interval is associated with higher rates of low Apgar scores and higher cord lactate for the second twin. These associations do not translate into higher rates of admission to NICU and their long-term clinical implications are uncertain.