Ukrainian Journal Health of Woman. 2023. 2(165): 4-9; doi 10.15574/HW.2023.165.4
Tsmur O. V., Hetsko N. V.
SHEI «Uzhgorod National University», Ukraine

For citation: Tsmur OV, Hetsko NV. (2023). Ultrasound criteria of fetal growth retardation in premature birth. Ukrainian Journal Health of Woman. 2(165): 4-9. doi: 10.15574/HW.2023.165.4.
Article received: Jan 10, 2023. Accepted for publication: Apr 18, 2023.

Purpose – to increase the effectiveness of forecasting and early diagnosis of fetal growth retardation (FGR) in premature pregnancy on the basis of ultrasound examination.
Materials and methods. 165 pregnant women were examined: 30 patients with an uncomplicated pregnancy that ended in physiological timely delivery – the control group (CG); 45 patients with premature birth (PB) (the Group I); 45 women with full-term pregnancy and FGR (the Group II) and 45 patients with PB and FGR (the Group III). Ultrasound examination included serial dynamic fetometry and placentography, dopplerography of vessels of the umbilical cord, ductus venosus, middle cerebral artery and fetal aorta with determination of systolic blood flow velocity and systolic peak velocity of blood flow, systolic-diastolic ratio, index resistance and pulsation index. Statistical processing of research results was carried out using standard programs «Microsoft Excel 5.0» and «Statistica 8.0».
Results. А significant decrease in the parameters of the biparietal size of the fetal head in pregnant women of the Group III was detected at 24-25 weeks of pregnancy: in the CG – 66.4±0.65 mm, in the Group III – 65.02±0.31 mm (p<0.05), in the Group II – 66.2±0.46 mm. A more pronounced slowdown in the rate of growth of the biparietal size of the fetal head was found in pregnant women at 28-29 weeks of gestation, when a significant decrease (p<0.05) in its growth rate was observed in pregnant women of the Groups II and III. The peculiarities of the formation and functioning of the fetoplacental complex in this Groups were characterised by impaired fetal haemodynamics: increase in blood circulation velocity in the venous duct – 74.43±2.24 cm/s vs. 46.54±1.62 cm/s, respectively; p<0.05; increase in pulsatile index in the uterine artery – 1.611±0.04 vs. 1.424±0.07; p<0.05, and in the middle cerebral artery – 1.527±0.02 vs. 1.251±0.03; p<0.005, indicating the tension of subcompensatory reactions.
Conclusions. Ultrasound feto- and placentametry in pregnant women with premature births against the backdrop of FGR showed that in patients with premature births, statistically significant deviations in the size of the fetus and placenta are observed from 24-25 weeks of gestation. Disruption of fetal hemodynamics is indicated by a significant increase in the speed of blood circulation in the ductus venosus in the Groups II and III (74.43±2.24 cm/s vs. 46.54±1.62 cm/s; p<0.05).
The research was carried out in accordance with the principles of the Helsinki Declaration. The study protocol was approved by the Local Ethics Committee of the participating institution. The informed consent of the patient was obtained for conducting the studies.
No conflict of interests was declared by the authors.
Keywords: premature birth, fetal growth retardation syndrome, placental dysfunction, fetometry, placentometry, dopplerometry.

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