Comparison of blood velocity waveform indices recorded by pulsed Doppler and continuous wave Doppler in the umbilical artery.

A comparison was made between the AB ratio, resistance index (RI), and pulsatility index (PI), calculated from tracings obtained by pulsed Doppler (PD) and continuous wave (CW) Doppler devices in 14 uncomplicated singleton pregnancies. The AB ratio, RI, and PI were a slightly higher for the CW Doppler compared to the PD system, although not significantly (p = 0.18, p = 0.21, and p = 0.44, respectively). The difference in signal to noise ratio (S/N ratio) between the PD and CW Doppler systems was felt to be the reason for the discrepancy in the calculated velocity waveform indices.