Doppler ultrasound assessment of fetal and uteroplacental circulations in severe second trimester oligohydramnios.

Doppler blood flow studies in 41 pregnancies with oligohydramnios in the second trimester found abnormal patterns in all 14 pregnancies with intrauterine growth retardation but in only one of nine pregnancies with premature rupture of the membranes, and one of 10 with fetal renal defects. Mixed patterns were found in a heterogeneous group of fetuses with other malformations or intrauterine infection. Unlike previous reports a diagnosis was achieved in all pregnancies, suggesting that Doppler studies should be an integral part of the antenatal investigation in such pregnancies.