Umbilical artery velocimetry in predicting perinatal outcome with intrapartum fetal distress.

The aim of this study was to see whether umbilical artery Doppler velocimetry predicts intrapartum fetal distress evidenced by poor perinatal outcome. Umbilical velocimetry was performed on 102 parturients with a presumptive diagnosis of fetal distress based on fetal heart rate (FHR) patterns. A mean systolic-diastolic ratio (S/D) of 3 or more after 30 weeks' gestation was considered abnormal. Poor perinatal outcome was defined by any of the following: small for gestational age, low Apgar score, acidosis, meconium below the vocal cords, prolonged neonatal hospital stay, neonatal intensive care unit admission, and neonatal morbidity. Eighty-two patients had normal S/Ds and 20 had abnormal ratios. Eighteen neonates (90%) in the abnormal-SD group had at least one adverse outcome, compared with only 13 (15.8%) of those with a normal S/D, a statistically significant difference (P less than .001). Umbilical artery S/D used as a screening tool to detect poor perinatal outcome had a sensitivity of 65-100%, specificity of 83-92%, positive predictive value of 20-81%, negative predictive value of 91-100%, and a kappa index of 0.24-0.63. These findings suggest that umbilical artery Doppler velocimetry may be useful as an adjunct in the assessment of intrapartum FHR patterns suggesting fetal distress.