Increased nuchal translucency can be ascertained using transverse planes

BACKGROUND

The detection of increased nuchal translucency is crucial for the assessment risk of aneuploidies and other fetal anomalies.

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to investigate the ability of a transverse view of the fetal head to detect increased fetal nuchal translucency at 11 to 13 weeks of gestation.

STUDY DESIGN

This was a prospective study enrolling a nonconsecutive series of women who attended our outpatient clinic from January 2020 to April 2021 for combined screening and were examined by operators certified by the Fetal Medicine Foundation. In each patient, nuchal translucency measurements were obtained both from a median sagittal view and from a transverse view. A second sonologist blinded to the results of the first examination obtained another measurement to assess intermethod and interobsever reproducibility.

RESULTS

A total of 1023 women were enrolled. An excellent correlation was found between sagittal and transverse nuchal translucency measurements, with a mean difference of 0.01 mm (95% confidence interval, -0.01 to 0.02). No systematic difference was found between the 2 techniques. The inter-rater reliability (intraclass correlation coefficient, 0.957; 95% confidence interval, 0.892-0.983) and intrarater reliability (intraclass correlation coefficient, 0.976; 95% confidence interval, 0.941-0.990) of axial measurements were almost perfect. Transverse measurements of 3.0 mm identified all cases with sagittal measurements of ≥3.0 with a specificity of 99.7%; transverse measurements of >3.2 mm identified all cases with sagittal measurements of 3.5 mm with a specificity of 99.7%. The time required to obtain transverse nuchal translucency measurements was considerably shorter than for sagittal measurements, particularly when the fetus had an unfavorable position.

CONCLUSION

When the sonogram is performed by an expert sonologist, the difference in nuchal translucency measurement obtained with a transverse or sagittal plane is minimal. Increased nuchal translucency can be reliably identified by using transverse views, and in some cases, this may technically be advantageous.

Hypertensive disorders and maternal hemodynamic changes in pregnancy: monitoring by USCOM® device

Hypertensive disorders are quite common, complicating about 10% of pregnancies, while preeclampsia occurs in 2-8% of cases. The most recognized etiopathogenetic factor for the development of preeclampsia is deficient remodeling of the spiral arteries during trophoblastic invasion. Recently, some authors speculated about the "cardiovascular origin of preeclampsia"; in particular, they postulate that placental dysfunction is not the primum movens of preeclampsia, but it could be caused by a failure of the maternal cardiovascular system to adapt to the pregnancy itself. Moreover, several studies have also shown that developing preeclampsia in pregnancy is associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease later in life. Due to the importance of this pathology, it would be crucial to have an effective screening in order to implement a prophylaxis; for this purpose, it could be useful to have an accurate and noninvasive device for the assessment of maternal hemodynamic variables. USCOM^® (Ultrasonic Cardiac Output Monitor) is a noninvasive Doppler ultrasonic technology which combines accuracy, reproducibility, noninvasiveness, and a fast learning curve. Maternal hemodynamic evaluation is important in order to monitor the changes that the maternal organism encounters, in particular a reduction in blood pressure, a decrease in total peripheral resistances, and an increase in cardiac output, resulting in a hyperdynamic circle. These hemodynamic modifications are lacking in pregnancies complicated by preeclampsia. For these reasons, it is crucial to have a tool that allows these parameters to be easily evaluated in order to identify those women at higher risk of hypertensive complications and more severe outcomes.

The correlation between transperineal ultrasound assessment of the levator ani muscle and postpartum urinary incontinence

AIMS

The primary aim of the present study was to assess the association between levator ani muscle (LAM) integrity and function on the one hand, and the risk of urinary incontinence (UI) on the other. A secondary objective was to assess the association between fundal pressure in the second stage of labor (Kristeller maneuver) and the risk of postpartum UI.

METHODS

In this prospective cohort study, women underwent a clinical and transperineal ultrasound examination at rest, at pelvic floor muscle contraction (PFMC), and at Valsalva maneuver 3-6 months after their first vaginal delivery. LAM avulsion and levator hiatal area (LHA) were evaluated. In addition, women were interviewed about the presence of UI, whether stress (SUI) or urgency (UUI).

RESULTS

Overall, data of 244 women were analyzed. SUI was reported in 50 (20.5%), while UUI was reported in 19 (7.8%) women. Women who reported SUI had a higher prevalence of LAM avulsion and less proportional reduction in LHA from rest to a maximum contraction in comparison to women with no SUI. Women who reported UUI had a greater LHA at rest, during contraction, and during maximal Valsalva in comparison to women without UUI. No significant association was found between the Kristeller maneuver and the incidence of any UI.

CONCLUSION

Levator ani avulsion and less proportional reduction of LHA with PFMC appear to be associated with a higher risk of postpartum urinary stress incontinence.

Maternal and perinatal outcomes in high compared to low risk pregnancies complicated by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 infection (phase 2): the World Association of Perinatal Medicine working group on coronavirus disease 2019

BACKGROUND

It has still to be ascertained whether severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 infection in pregnancy is associated with worse maternal and fetal outcomes compared to low risk gestations.

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to evaluate maternal and perinatal outcomes in high- and low-risk pregnancies complicated by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 infection.

STUDY DESIGN

This was a multinational retrospective cohort study involving women with laboratory-confirmed severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 infection from 76 centers from 25 countries in Europe, the United States, South America, Asia, and Australia from April 4, 2020, to October 28, 2020. The primary outcome was a composite measure of maternal mortality and morbidity, including admission to the intensive care unit, use of mechanical ventilation, or death. The secondary outcome was a composite measure of adverse perinatal outcome, including miscarriage, fetal loss, neonatal and perinatal death, and admission to the neonatal intensive care unit. All outcomes were assessed in high- and low-risk pregnancies. Pregnancies were considered high risk in case of either preexisting chronic medical conditions in pregnancy or obstetrical disorders occurring in pregnancy. The Fisher exact test and logistic regression analysis were used to analyze the data.

RESULTS

A total of 887 singleton pregnancies who tested positive for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 infection using reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction of nasal and pharyngeal swab specimens were included in the study. The risk of composite adverse maternal outcomes was higher in high-risk pregnancies than in low-risk pregnancies (odds ratio, 1.52; 95% confidence interval, 1.03-2.24; P=.035). In addition, women carrying high-risk pregnancies were at higher risk of hospital admission (odds ratio, 1.48; 95% confidence interval, 1.07-2.04; P=.002), presence of severe respiratory symptoms (odds ratio, 2.13; 95% confidence interval, 0.41-3.21; P=.001), admission to the intensive care unit (odds ratio, 2.63; 95% confidence interval, 1.42-4.88), and invasive mechanical ventilation (odds ratio, 2.65; 95% confidence interval, 1.19-5.94; P=.002). When exploring perinatal outcomes, high-risk pregnancies were at high risk of adverse perinatal outcomes (odds ratio, 1.78; 95% confidence interval, 0.15-2.72; P=.009). However, such association was mainly because of the higher incidence of miscarriage in high-risk pregnancies compared with that in low-risk pregnancies (5.3% vs 1.6%, P=.008); furthermore, there was no difference in other explored outcomes between the 2 study groups. At logistic regression analysis, maternal age (odds ratio, 1.12; 95% confidence interval, 1.02-1.22; P=.023) and high-risk pregnancy (odds ratio, 4.21; 95% confidence interval, 3.90-5.11; P<.001) were independently associated with adverse maternal outcomes.

CONCLUSION

High-risk pregnancies complicated by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 infection were at higher risk of adverse maternal outcomes than low-risk pregnancies complicated by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 infection.

Usefulness of USCOM® evaluation in women with chronic hypertension who developed severe preeclampsia with low platelets and elevated liver enzymes

Cardiovascular changes that occur during pregnancy have been recently described and are matter of debate; during gestation we observe an increase in cardiac output and a reduction of peripheral total vascular resistance (TVR). In pregnancies complicated by hypertensive disorders, instead, these changes are lacking, with a persisting low cardiac output and high peripheral resistances. In this case report, we observed that in patients with chronic hypertension TVR are high, while the cardiac output is able to face the needs of pregnancy. The increase in TVR before the decision to deliver, due to bad blood pressure control despite therapy, may precede the alterations in blood tests (platelet decreasing and high liver enzymes). This data may be useful for monitoring patients with chronic hypertension and identifying those at higher risk of developing HELLP/severe preeclampsia.

Risk factors associated with adverse fetal outcomes in pregnancies affected by Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19): a secondary analysis of the WAPM study on COVID-19

Objectives To evaluate the strength of association between maternal and pregnancy characteristics and the risk of adverse perinatal outcomes in pregnancies with laboratory confirmed COVID-19. Methods Secondary analysis of a multinational, cohort study on all consecutive pregnant women with laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 from February 1, 2020 to April 30, 2020 from 73 centers from 22 different countries. A confirmed case of COVID-19 was defined as a positive result on real-time reverse-transcriptase-polymerase-chain-reaction (RT-PCR) assay of nasal and pharyngeal swab specimens. The primary outcome was a composite adverse fetal outcome, defined as the presence of either abortion (pregnancy loss before 22 weeks of gestations), stillbirth (intrauterine fetal death after 22 weeks of gestation), neonatal death (death of a live-born infant within the first 28 days of life), and perinatal death (either stillbirth or neonatal death). Logistic regression analysis was performed to evaluate parameters independently associated with the primary outcome. Logistic regression was reported as odds ratio (OR) with 95% confidence interval (CI). Results Mean gestational age at diagnosis was 30.6±9.5 weeks, with 8.0% of women being diagnosed in the first, 22.2% in the second and 69.8% in the third trimester of pregnancy. There were six miscarriage (2.3%), six intrauterine device (IUD) (2.3) and 5 (2.0%) neonatal deaths, with an overall rate of perinatal death of 4.2% (11/265), thus resulting into 17 cases experiencing and 226 not experiencing composite adverse fetal outcome. Neither stillbirths nor neonatal deaths had congenital anomalies found at antenatal or postnatal evaluation. Furthermore, none of the cases experiencing IUD had signs of impending demise at arterial or venous Doppler. Neonatal deaths were all considered as prematurity-related adverse events. Of the 250 live-born neonates, one (0.4%) was found positive at RT-PCR pharyngeal swabs performed after delivery. The mother was tested positive during the third trimester of pregnancy. The newborn was asymptomatic and had negative RT-PCR test after 14 days of life. At logistic regression analysis, gestational age at diagnosis (OR: 0.85, 95% CI 0.8-0.9 per week increase; p<0.001), birthweight (OR: 1.17, 95% CI 1.09-1.12.7 per 100 g decrease; p=0.012) and maternal ventilatory support, including either need for oxygen or CPAP (OR: 4.12, 95% CI 2.3-7.9; p=0.001) were independently associated with composite adverse fetal outcome. Conclusions Early gestational age at infection, maternal ventilatory supports and low birthweight are the main determinants of adverse perinatal outcomes in fetuses with maternal COVID-19 infection. Conversely, the risk of vertical transmission seems negligible.

Reliability of transperineal ultrasound for the assessment of the angle of progression in labor using parasagittal approach versus midsagittal approach

OBJECTIVE

To assess the inter-method agreement between midsagittal (msAoP) and parasagittal (psAoP) measurements of the angle of progression (AoP) during labor. In addition, we aimed to evaluate the correlation between AoP measurements by both midsagittal and parasagittal approaches with the mode of delivery.

METHODS

We recruited a nonconsecutive series of women in active labor with a singleton uncomplicated term pregnancy with fetuses in vertex presentation. Women underwent transperineal ultrasound in the absence of uterine contractions or maternal pushing to measure both msAoP and psAoP. The inter-method agreement between the two acquisitions was then assessed. Lastly, both measurements were compared between women who had a vaginal delivery versus those who underwent cesarean section (CS).

RESULTS

Overall, 151 women were included in the study. We found an excellent agreement between msAoP and psAoP (ICC 0.935; 95% CI 0.912-0.953, p < .001). On the other hand, psAoP overestimated the measurements in comparison with msAoP (101.2 ± 15.6 versus 98.2 ± 16.0, p < .001). There was a significant correlation between both methods of AoP assessment and duration of the active second stage of labor and AoP measured by either method was significantly wider in patients who delivered vaginally compared to those who had a CS.

CONCLUSIONS

Our data showed a significant difference in the measured angle between the psAoP and the originally described msAoP. The automated measurements of AoP that have been introduced are designed using the parasagittal visualization of the more echogenic pubic arch, rather than the hypoechogenic pubic symphysis. We think that in the light of our data, care should be taken before applying data from midsagittal measurement in centers using the parasagittal automated approach.