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Original Article
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Korean J Obstet Gynecol. 2012;55(7):454-460. Published online July 13, 2012.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.5468/KJOG.2012.55.7.454
- A longitudinal study of three-dimensional ultrasonographic assessment of the placenta in uncomplicated pregnancies.
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Nan Hee Jeong, Ki Yeol Yang, Hyun Joo Seol, Eui Jung
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Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Kyung Hee University School of Medicine, Seoul, Korea. eui2536@hanmail.net
- Abstract
- OBJECTIVE
The purpose of our study was to investigate the relationship between birth weight and 3-dimensional (3D) power Doppler histogram of the placenta in the first- and second-trimester of uncomplicated pregnancies. METHODS: In this longitudinal study, 3D power Doppler ultrasound was performed in 54 non-smoking women with uncomplicated pregnancies at 10 to 13 weeks of gestation and subsequently at 19 to 22 weeks. A correlation and regression analysis was performed for placental volume (PV) and vascular indices versus clinical and sonographic variables. RESULTS: All vascular indices of the second-trimester were significantly greater than values of the first-trimester. Placental vascular indices showed an incremental tendency with birth weight, which was only statistically significant when the flow index (FI) of the first-trimester was considered (P=0.02). The PV of both the first- and second-trimester has a negative correlation with FI of the second-trimester. CONCLUSION: Our findings suggest that FI of the placenta in the first-trimester significantly affects growth of the fetus and placenta, likely reflecting the degree of placental vascularization during the first-trimester.
Keywords :Three-dimensional power Doppler ultrasound;Uncomplicated pregnancy;Placental vascularization
