Pregnancies complicated by both preeclampsia and growth restriction between 34 and 37 weeks' gestation are associated with adverse perinatal outcomes.

OBJECTIVE

To determine whether adverse outcomes were more common in late preterm pregnancies complicated by preeclampsia and growth restriction compared to those affected by preeclampsia alone.

METHODS

This was a retrospective cohort study of 8927 singleton pregnancies with preeclampsia. Pregnancies with small for gestational age (SGA) neonates (birth weight <10th percentile) were compared to those appropriate for gestational age (AGA) neonates. Maternal outcomes included cesarean delivery (CD) rate, CD for fetal heart rate (FHR) abnormalities, abruption, postpartum hemorrhage (PPH), maternal transfusion, acute renal failure, and peripartum cardiomyopathy. Neonatal outcomes studied included respiratory distress syndrome (RDS), jaundice, hypoglycemia, seizure, asphyxia, neonatal death, and intrauterine fetal demise (IUFD).

RESULTS

Women with preeclampsia and SGA infants were more likely to experience abruption (5.3% versus 3.0%, p < 0.001), higher CD rate (66.5% versus 55.0%, p < 0.001), and higher likelihood of a CD for FHR abnormalities (21.7% versus 10.0%, p < 0.001). SGA infants were more likely to experience adverse neonatal outcomes including RDS (10.1% versus 4.9%, p < 0.001), jaundice (59.8% versus 39.2%, p < 0.001), hypoglycemia (8.9% versus 3.9%, p < 0.001), asphyxia (0.6% versus 0.2%, p = 0.015), and IUFD (1.5% versus 0.3%, p < 0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

Preeclamptic women and their neonates were more likely to experience adverse perinatal outcomes when SGA pregnancies were compared to those with AGA neonates.