Ultrasound in Obstetrics & Gynecology最新文献

A standardized methodology for the ultrasound evaluation of the pelvic sidewall has not been proposed to date. Herein, a collaborative group of gynecologists and gynecological oncologists with extensive ultrasound experience presents a systematic methodology for the ultrasonographic evaluation of structures within the pelvic sidewall. Five categories of anatomical structures are described (muscles, vessels, lymph nodes, nerves and ureters). A step-by-step transvaginal ultrasound (or, when this is not feasible, transrectal ultrasound) approach is outlined for the evaluation of each anatomical landmark within these categories. Accurate assessment of the pelvic sidewall using a standardized approach improves the detection and diagnosis of non-gynecological pathologies that may mimic gynecological tumors, reducing the risk of unnecessary and even harmful intervention. Furthermore, it plays an important role in completing the staging of malignant gynecological conditions. Transvaginal or transrectal ultrasound therefore represents a viable alternative to magnetic resonance imaging in the preoperative evaluation of lesions affecting the pelvic sidewall, if performed by an expert sonographer. A series of videoclips showing normal and abnormal findings within each respective category illustrates how establishing a universally applicable approach for evaluating this crucial region will be helpful for assessing both benign and malignant conditions affecting the pelvic sidewall. © 2024 The Author(s). Ultrasound in Obstetrics & Gynecology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of International Society of Ultrasound in Obstetrics and Gynecology.

Objective: To determine if the resolution of fetal growth discordance after laser surgery in pregnancies with twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome (TTTS) and coexisting selective fetal growth restriction (sFGR) can be predicted by estimated fetal weight (EFW) discordance recorded prior to the development of TTTS (pre-TTTS).

Methods: This was a single-center, retrospective analysis of prospectively collected data on monochorionic twins with concurrent TTTS and sFGR that underwent laser surgery and had available growth ultrasound records from a pre-TTTS ultrasound evaluation. Maternal demographics, pregnancy characteristics and birth outcomes were compared between three outcome groups: double twin survival with resolved sFGR determined by birth weight discordance (BWD) < 20%; double twin survival with ongoing sFGR determined by BWD ≥ 20%; and single or double fetal demise after laser surgery. One-way analysis of variance or the Kruskal-Wallis test was used for continuous variables. The chi-square test or Fisher's exact test was used for categorical variables. A multivariate logistic regression model was constructed based on univariate associations.

Results: Ninety-seven patients with TTTS and concurrent sFGR underwent same- or next-day laser surgery after a TTTS staging ultrasound at a median gestational age of 19.4 (interquartile range (IQR), 18.0-22.3) weeks, with a median EFW discordance of 28.8% (IQR, 22.9-34.0%). At delivery, 34 (35.1%) patients had resolved sFGR with a median BWD of 7.7% (IQR, 3.5-13.0%), 34 (35.1%) had ongoing sFGR with a median BWD of 30.6% (IQR, 24.4-43.9%) and 29 (29.9%) had a single or double fetal demise. Although some characteristics available at the time of TTTS diagnosis, such as the donor umbilical artery end-diastolic velocity (P = 0.0087) and donor umbilical artery pulsatility index (P = 0.0061), also correlated with growth outcome, multivariate logistic regression analysis identified EFW discordance at the pre-TTTS ultrasound as the primary determinant of the odds of resolved growth discordance at birth (P = 0.0063).

Conclusions: In patients undergoing laser surgery for TTTS with coexisting sFGR, a history of concordant growth at the pre-TTTS scan prior to the development of TTTS was associated with the resolution of fetal growth discordance at birth. These findings suggest that TTTS pathophysiology can contribute to growth discordance noted at the time of TTTS diagnosis. © 2024 International Society of Ultrasound in Obstetrics and Gynecology.

Objectives: To assess the performance of mean uterine artery pulsatility index (UtA-PI) at 18-22 and 24-28 weeks of gestation in the prediction of pre-eclampsia (PE) and small-for-gestational age (SGA), and its role in reassessing the risk of PE and SGA in pregnancies screened for PE in the first trimester.

Methods: This was a retrospective observational cohort study of 4464 women with singleton pregnancy screened routinely for PE in the first trimester, using the Gaussian algorithm, from March 2019 to May 2021, and who underwent UtA-PI assessment at 18-22 gestational weeks. Women were categorized as low risk or high risk based on the risk index obtained after first-trimester screening for PE. In high-risk patients, UtA-PI was also assessed at 24-28 weeks of gestation. Sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value (NPV), positive likelihood ratio, negative likelihood ratio and area under the receiver-operating-characteristics curve were calculated to assess the performance of UtA-PI at 18-22 and 24-28 weeks in predicting PE and SGA in the high-risk group. In all participants, different UtA-PI percentiles at 18-22 or 24-28 weeks, or their combination, were analyzed to explore their role in reassessing the risk of PE and SGA following first-trimester PE screening.

Results: The performance of UtA-PI at 18-22 and 24-28 weeks in the high-risk group was good for predicting preterm PE and preterm SGA, and excellent for predicting early-onset PE and early-onset SGA, with an NPV of > 97% for all outcomes. In the low-risk group, UtA-PI ≥ 95^th percentile at 18-22 weeks' gestation identified a subgroup of pregnancies with a significantly higher risk of preterm SGA compared to the low-risk group. In the high-risk group, UtA-PI < 60^th percentile at 18-22 weeks' gestation, UtA-PI < 85^th percentile at 24-28 weeks' gestation, and UtA-PI < 85^th percentile at 24-28 weeks' gestation in women with UtA-PI ≥ 60^th percentile at 18-22 weeks, identified subgroups of pregnancies with a risk of PE and SGA comparable to that of the low-risk group.

Conclusions: The performance of UtA-PI at 18-22 and 24-28 gestational weeks in high-risk pregnancies identified during first-trimester screening for PE is similar to that in the general population. The risk of PE and SGA in a high-risk cohort can be reassessed by measuring UtA-PI at 18-22 weeks, 24-28 weeks or both, allowing adjustment of follow-up, particularly de-escalation of care. © 2024 The Author(s). Ultrasound in Obstetrics & Gynecology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of International Society of Ultrasound in Obstetrics and Gynecology.

Objective: To compare the accuracy of four published reference standards for the umbilical artery pulsatility index (UA-PI) in predicting small-for-gestational age (SGA), adverse neonatal outcomes and obstetric complications in pregnancies at risk for fetal growth restriction.

Methods: This was a secondary analysis of a prospective study of singleton pregnancies that underwent fetal growth assessment by ultrasound between 26 and 36 weeks' gestation. Pregnancies with estimated fetal weight or abdominal circumference < 20^th percentile with UA-PI measurements available were included. We excluded fetuses with chromosomal anomaly or congenital malformation and those without delivery information. The predictive ability of UA-PI > 95^th percentile according to the reference standards of Acharya et al., the INTERGROWTH-21^st Project, the Fetal Medicine Foundation and Parra-Cordero et al. for SGA, a composite of adverse neonatal outcomes and a composite of obstetric complications was compared using the area under the receiver-operating-characteristics curve (AUC). Sensitivity, specificity and positive and negative predictive values were calculated.

Results: Of the 1054 pregnancies that underwent fetal growth evaluation by ultrasound, 207 were included in our analysis. SGA, adverse neonatal outcomes and obstetric complications were diagnosed in 94 (45.4%), 50 (24.2%) and 69 (33.3%) cases, respectively. All reference standards had similar and statistically significant but poor predictive accuracy for SGA (AUC of 0.55 to 0.56), adverse neonatal outcomes (AUC of 0.57 to 0.60) and obstetric complications (AUC of 0.55 for all).

Conclusions: The reference standards for UA-PI evaluated herein have poor predictive ability for SGA, adverse neonatal outcomes and obstetric complications. At present, no particular UA-PI reference standard can be recommended over others. Larger trials are needed to answer this research question. © 2024 International Society of Ultrasound in Obstetrics and Gynecology.

Objective: To report the diagnostic accuracy of cell-free fetal DNA (cfDNA) in detecting fetal chromosomal anomalies in women experiencing miscarriage.

Methods: PubMed, MEDLINE, EMBASE and Cochrane databases were searched from inception to June 2024. The inclusion criteria were women experiencing miscarriage (defined as pregnancy loss before 20 weeks of gestation) who underwent cfDNA screening for trisomies 21, 18 and 13, other autosomal aneuploidies, sex-chromosome aneuploidies and/or copy-number variants (CNVs). The index test was cfDNA screening for each of the chromosomal anomalies listed. The reference standard was cytogenetic analysis of pregnancy tissue. The quality of the studies was assessed using the revised tool for the quality assessment of diagnostic accuracy studies. Summary estimates of sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative likelihood ratios, and diagnostic odds ratio were computed using the hierarchical summary receiver-operating-characteristics model.

Results: Seven studies (887 women) were included in the systematic review and meta-analysis. cfDNA had a sensitivity and specificity of 100% (95% CI, 81.5-100%) and 100% (95% CI, 99.1-100%), respectively, for trisomy 21, 100% (95% CI, 54.1-100%) and 100% (95% CI, 99.0-100%), respectively, for trisomy 18, and 88.9% (95% CI, 51.8-99.7%) and 100% (95% CI, 99.1-100%), respectively, for trisomy 13. The respective values for other autosomal trisomies were 75.8% (95% CI, 65.7-84.2%) and 99.4% (95% CI, 97.9-99.9%), while those for CNVs were 60.0% (95% CI, 14.7-94.7%) and 100% (95% CI, 97.4-100%). Failure of cfDNA testing was reported in 7.3% (95% CI, 5.7-9.2%) of cases.

Conclusion: cfDNA has high diagnostic accuracy in detecting fetal trisomies 21, 18 and 13 in women experiencing miscarriage, while its accuracy for other autosomal aneuploidies and CNVs is only moderate. © 2024 International Society of Ultrasound in Obstetrics and Gynecology.