Afferent venous perfusion of fetal liver: umbilical and portal blood-flow volumes in fetuses born small-for-gestational age.

OBJECTIVE

To quantify the dynamic changes in the afferent venous flow volume of the liver in low-risk pregnancies with fetuses born small-for-gestational age.

METHODS

This was a prospective study of low-risk singleton pregnancies with estimated fetal weight (EFW) and birth weight ≤ 10th  centile attending for a routine second- or third-trimester ultrasound examination. Their umbilical and portal blood-flow volumes were compared with those of a control group of fetuses born appropriate-for-gestational age from which normal reference ranges were constructed. Absolute and Z-score differences between the groups were assessed.

RESULTS

In total, 133 fetuses were included in the study group and 362 in the control group. The mean umbilical blood-flow volume in the study group, both absolute and normalized per kg of EFW, was below that of the appropriate-for-gestational-age fetuses for most of the period of pregnancy studied (overall mean Z-score, -0.82 and -0.84, respectively). In contrast, the mean portal blood-flow volume, per kg of EFW, showed the opposite trend (overall mean Z-score, +0.86), reaching its maximum level (+1.43) in the late third trimester. This resulted in a steep decrease in the mean placental-to-portal-blood-flow volume ratio, from 14.4 at 24 weeks of gestation (above the 60th centile) to 4.7 at 38 weeks of gestation (15th centile), corresponding to Z-scores of +0.4 and -1.02, respectively.

CONCLUSION

In fetuses born small-for-gestational age, the ratio of blood-flow volume in the umbilical vein to that in the portal vein decreases consistently during pregnancy, and to a greater extent compared with those born appropriate-for-gestational age, reaching a lower nadir in the third trimester. This additional redistribution of liver perfusion affects negatively fetal growth even in low-risk pregnancy, and should be taken into account when planning delivery. We suggest considering liver venous perfusion as an ancillary tool for monitoring small-for-gestational-age pregnancies. © 2023 International Society of Ultrasound in Obstetrics and Gynecology.