The hemodynamics of the umbilical artery in normal and pre-eclamptic pregnancies. A new application of SQUID biomagnetometry.

This study was set to investigate the hemodynamics of the feto-placental circulation in normal and pre-ecclamptic pregnancies using the biomagnetometer SQUID. Thirteen women with pre-eclampsia and 26 healthy women were studied. All were "near term". Biomagnetic signals (waveforms) were recorded from the umbilical arteries. After statistical Fourier analysis, the findings were assigned arbitrarily in terms of spectral amplitudes as high (200-300 fT/ root of Hz), low (80-150 fT/ root of Hz) and borderline (151-199 fT/ root of Hz). In all cases the frequencies considered were distributed in the range 2-7 Hz. Interestingly, the umbilical artery waveforms and the corresponding spectral densities were of high amplitudes in most (88%) normal pregnancies of low amplitudes in most (84.6%) pregnancies complicated with pre-eclampsia. These findings were of statistical significance and were correlated with fetal heart rate (FHR) monitoring, pH and Apgar score at 1 and 5 minutes; high amplitude cases were related with normal FHR monitoring, pH > 7.25 and Apgar score > 7, while low amplitude recordings were connected with abnormal FHR patterns, pH < 7.25 and Apgar score < 7. It is suggested that biomagnetic measurements of the umbilical artery flow, which is an entirely new application of SQUID technology, is a promising procedure in assessing fetal health, especially in high risk pregnancies.