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Maternal ophthalmic artery Doppler velocimetry in normotensive pregnancies with small‐for‐gestational‐age infants

Our purpose was to evaluate whether the maternal ophthalmic artery pulsatility index in normotensive pregnancies with small‐for‐gestational‐age (SGA) fetuses is different from that in normotensive pregnancies with appropriate‐for‐gestational‐age (AGA) fetuses. The cross‐sectional study involved a group of normotensive pregnant women at > 34 weeks' gestation; 16 had fetuses that were AGA and 13 had fetuses that were SGA. Color and pulsed Doppler ultrasonography was performed in the ophthalmic arteries in each case and the pulsatility index and mean velocity were calculated. The heart rate and mean arterial blood pressure were also recorded. The pulsatility index of the ophthalmic artery (2.04 ± 0.39) in normotensive pregnant women with SGA fetuses was significantly lower than that (2.87 ± 0.64) in normotensive pregnant women with AGA fetuses (p < 0.05). The mean velocity (15.0 ± 2.7 cm/s) in the women with SGA fetuses was significantly higher than that (10.2 ± 2.7 cm/s) in the women with AGA fetuses (p < 0.05). There was no significant difference in maternal heart rate or mean arterial blood pressure between the groups. These results suggest that vascular resistance in the maternal orbital circulation is reduced in pregnancies that are normotensive but which are associated with SGA fetuses. Copyright © 1998 International Society of Ultrasound in Obstetrics and Gynecology