INNOVATIVE APPROACHES TO EARLY DETECTION OF FETAL COMPLICATIONS IN HYPERTENSIVE PREGNANCIES USING ADVANCED DOPPLER ULTRASOUND

Abstract

Objective:

This research paper will set out to study the effectiveness of the advanced Doppler ultrasound methods in early identification of fetal problems in hypertensive pregnancies in terms of identifying severe signs and symptoms like fetal growth restriction (FGR) and placental insufficiency.

Study Design:

This was a longitudinal study carried out at the tertiary level hospital focused on obstetrics over an interval of 12 months which includes pregnant women who had history of hypertension.

Method: 

The sample: 200 hypertensive pregnant women were sampled by use of purposive sampling. The participants were subjected to Doppler Ultrasound examinations with short intervals between the examinations to evaluate the resistance of uterine arteries and the blood flow rates. Data analyzing was done both by qualitative and quantitative analysis with regression analysis used to calculate the interdependence between Doppler ultrasound results and the birth outcomes.

Result: Conclusions made by the study were that heightened uterine artery resistance especially during the second trimester constituted a key predictor of fetal growth restriction. Also, altered blood flow pattern in the ductus venosus and umbilical artery were associated with adverse fetal results such as intrauterine death.

Conclusion, the tasks of advanced Doppler ultrasound allow obtaining meaningful predictive data in terms of fetal problems in hypertensive pregnancies. It is possible to incorporate this method into clinical practice so that earlier interventions are possible to achieve better maternal and fetal results

Keywords:

Doppler Ultrasound, Hypertensive Pregnancies, Fetal Growth Restriction, Placental Insufficiency, Uterine Artery Resistance, Predictive Ultrasound, Fetal Complications