Uterine artery pulsatility index as a relevant parameter in the prediction of preeclampsia

Abstract

Preeclampsia is a clinical syndrome that occurs in 5-10% of pregnancies with increased perinatal morbidity and mortality. According to ISUOG (International Society of Ultrasound in Obstetrics & Gynecology), the use of the uterine artery pulsatility index (PI) is an important sensitive method in predicting the risk of preeclampsia. This study is to emphasize the value of PI as a more relevant predictive parameter in the detection of preeclampsia in the second trimester compared to the presence of isolated uterine artery notch. For the above purpose, 96 patients were examined at the University Clinic of Gynecology and Obstetrics in Skopje, divided into 2 groups: study and control group. The study group consisted of 48 patients from 14 to 20 gestational weeks with present uterine artery notch, being the main inclusion criterion. The control group consisted of 48 pregnant patients at the same gestational age with absence of uterine artery notch. In the study group, 43.7% developed clinical syndrome of preeclampsia. The resistance index (RI) value was up to 0.73 and the predictive value of the RI was 57.1%. In patients who developed preeclampsia syndrome, the value of the PI above 1.75 was of much greater predictive value, with value of 71.4%. The sensitivity of these values was 88%, which is a reliable parameter. PI is a reliable parameter in detecting the risk of developing preeclampsia and an indicator of great clinical significance in the daily practice in perinatology.