الفهرس 
INTRODUCTIONOnly 14 pages are availabe for public view
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Abstract
The present study was a cross-sectional study including 66 non-anomalous pregnancies with ultrasound assessment of EFW <10th percentile for gestational age. This sample was further divided into two groups; the “true” FGR group, and SGA group, classified based on strict criteria involving EFW and Doppler parameters. Our study investigated the relationship of uIMT and CPR Doppler to placental pathological features and to pregnancy outcome. These relations were tested only within the “true” FGR group (n= 60).
Our FGR cohort included 15 patients (25%) with early-onset (<32 weeks) and 45 patients (75%) with late-onset FGR. The prevalence of preeclampsia was 16.6%, non-proteinuric hypertension 20%, and diabetes 3.3%. Approximately 80% of pregnancies showed a symmetrical pattern of growth versus 20% with asymmetrical growth.
All patients had ultrasonographic examination by the same operator within 2 weeks before delivery for fetal biometry, umbilical artery and MCA Doppler assessment, and uIMT measurement as well. All patients had their fresh placentas examined before fixation and histopathological examination by the same pathologists. Perinatal characteristics and neonatal outcome were also recorded for all patients.
We found that the uIMT is significantly thicker in FGR compared to SGA pregnancies, and in early-onset compared to late-onset FGR. It correlated well with some, but not all, of the known risk factors for FGR. The uIMT also correlated well with the rate of CS due to non-reassuring fetal status.
Umbilical artery IMT showed a direct relationship to all parameters of umbilical artery Doppler (PI, RI, and S/D ratio) and an inverse relationship to the CPR centile. Furthermore, FGR pregnancies with umbilical artery absent and reversed end diastolic flow tended to have thicker uIMT values. All of these relations were statistically significant. No significant correlations were found between uIMT and any of the MCA Doppler parameters.