Will the area under the curve of the umbilical artery Doppler predict fetal growth restriction at 34 weeks of gestation among pre-eclamptic women?

Fetal growth restriction (FGR)is associated with a significant reduction of blood supply to the fetus in the umbilical artery. We aim to use the area under the curve (AUC)for the fetal blood velocity wave in an innovative mathematical – analytic study type as a parameter for FGR. For that, 37 eligible pregnant women were recruited. (25/37) were normotensive women and (12/37) were pre-eclamptic. All participants were examined by the Doppler study at 34 weeks. We recorded; the estimated fetal weight, fetal weight percentile, amniotic fluid index, pulsatility, and resistance index of the umbilical artery. Doppler strips were analyzed with paint software to measure the AUC of fetal blood velocity. Simpson’s 1/3 rule measured the AUC for Doppler strip waves. Unit for length and area was Pixel 1 and Pixel 2, respectively. Analysis revealed a significant correlation between AUC versus fetal weight, fetal weight percentile, amniotic fluid index, pulsatility index, and resistance index; as r= [0.96%, 0.96%, 0.98%, -0.95%, and -0.94%] respectively, P values< 0.0001.AUC is a valuable tool in discriminating FGR; it strongly correlated with parameters for FGR with the highest sensitivity and specificity. We recommend its addition to the screening panel for growth-restricted fetuses.