Umbilical artery blood flow in intra-uterine growth retarded fetuses and fetal outcome: a study of 102 cases.

The 102 fetuses diagnosed by ultrasound to be asymmetrically growth-retarded had blood flow velocity waveforms of the umbilical artery studied. Sixty-two cases had normal blood flow, 28 had abnormal blood flow but with present end-diastolic flow, 8 had absent end-diastolic flow, and 4 had reversal of end-diastolic flow. Comparison was made between the blood flow status and other biophysical methods of antenatal surveillance and perinatal outcome. There is a strong correlation between abnormal blood flow and abnormalities detected by other biophysical methods of antenatal surveillance. Our study shows that fetuses with severe blood flow impairment tend to be more severely growth-retarded and to be delivered earlier. Our results also show abnormal blood flow to be associated with a poor perinatal outcome. Those fetuses with severe impairment of blood flow suffered a high incidence of operative delivery for fetal distress, acidosis at birth, perinatal mortality and morbidity. The association between abnormal blood flow and the 5-minute Apgar score is significant only in those with the severest impairment of blood flow. Our results are in close agreement with similar studies recorded in the literature.