Doppler assessment between pathological examination of the placenta and late fetal intrauterine demise

Abstract

Aim: The relation between placental histopathological examination, umbilical cord pathology and abnormal umbilical and cerebral Doppler as a predictor of stillbirth at later gestations was evaluated. Materials and Methods: A retrospective study of 55 monofetal pregnancies complicated with late fetal death from 2005-2008 was conducted at the Institute of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Belgrade. Statistical analysis: chi-square likelihood ratio test and Spearman's coefficient correlation. Results: Intrauterine fetal demise occurred most frequently at term -32.7% of the time. Changes in the umbilical artery resistance index were not significantly different from placental histopathology findings, p = 0.363. There was a significant correlation between neonatal birth weight and weeks of gestation at delivery, r = 0.796; p = 0.001. Conclusion: Umbilical artery Doppler is a relatively poor predictor of stillbirths due to placental dysfunction. It seems that neonatal birth weight is the best predictor of late stillbirth in high-risk pregnancies.