The role of ultrasound and mitofusin-2 levels to predict pregnancy outcomes in patients with severe preeclampsia: a case-control study.

Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate mitofusin-2 levels and fetal Doppler ultrasonography effects in patients with severe preeclampsia.

Methods: This single-center case-control study was conducted in the gynecology service of the university hospital in Van. A total of 90 pregnant women aged 18-40 years were included in the study. Of these, 30 are normal, 30 have mild preeclampsia, and 30 are pregnant with severe preeclampsia. In this study, especially in severe preeclampsia patients, serum mitofusin-2 levels and important fetal Doppler flows such as uterine arterial pressure, umbilical arterial pressure, and 1st and 5th minute Apgar scores, birth weight, and the relationship between postnatal outcomes such as week of birth and the number of patients in the neonatal intensive care unit were investigated.

Results: There was a significant difference between the three groups in terms of mitofusin-2 levels, which was the highest in the group (p<0.05). Maternal serum mitofusin-2 levels were positively correlated with uterine arterial pressure (r=0.543, p=0.007), umbilical arterial pressure (r=0.238, p=0.008), diastolic blood pressure, and systolic blood pressure (p<0.001). Receiver operating characteristic curve of mitofusin-2 in predicting preeclampsia is as follows: optimal cutoff 1.6 ng/mL; area under the curve: 0.861; 95%CI: 0.786-0.917; sensitivity: 83.9%; and specificity: 70.0%, (p≤0.001). A one-unit increase in mitofusin-2 resulted in a statistically significant 4.21-fold increase in preeclampsia risk.

Conclusion: This study recommends the use of mitofusin-2 together with fetal Doppler ultrasound findings as a reliable indicator of preeclampsia severity.