Volume 200, Issue 4 , Pages 397.e1-397.e3, April 2009
Angle correction can be used to measure peak systolic velocity in the fetal middle cerebral artery
Objective
The objective of the study was to compare Doppler ultrasound measurements of the fetal middle cerebral artery peak systolic velocity (MCA-PSV) obtained at a 0° angle of insonation to assessment at 30° and 30° with angle correction.
Study Design
Patients between 14 and 36 weeks' gestation were enrolled (n = 66). MCA-PSV measurements were assessed at 0°, 30°, and 30° with angle correction. The data were analyzed using a mixed model adjusted for gestational age. Pairwise comparisons of mean MCA-PSV measurements were made using the Tukey multiple comparison test.
Results
All measurements were obtained for 50 fetuses (76%). Mean MCA-PSV measurements were statistically different between 0° vs 30° (P = .03 to < .001) but not between 0° vs 30° with angle correction (P = .34-.99) at each of the 5 gestational age groupings.
Conclusion
Assessment of the MCA-PSV at 0° and 30° with angle correction provides comparable measurements during the second and third trimester of pregnancy.
Key words: angle correction, Doppler ultrasound, fetus, middle cerebral artery, peak systolic velocity
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This study was supported in part by the Bowes/Cefalo Young Researcher Award-Center for Maternal and Infant Health, University of North Carolina, and the Medical Alumni Endowment Fund, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC.
Cite this article as: Ruma MS, Swartz AE, Kim E, et al. Angle correction can be used to measure peak systolic velocity in the fetal middle cerebral artery. Am J Obstet Gynecol 2009;200:397.e1-397.e3.
PII: S0002-9378(08)02202-3
doi:10.1016/j.ajog.2008.11.002
© 2009 Mosby, Inc. All rights reserved.
Volume 200, Issue 4 , Pages 397.e1-397.e3, April 2009
