[Diagnostic value of color Doppler ultrasound in addition to B-image ultrasound in predicting underweight newborn infants].

In 74 pregnancies suspected for a small-for-gestational age (SGA) fetus by ultrasound measurement of the abdominal circumference, Doppler measurements of the fetal aorta and umbilical artery were performed. The renal and middle cerebral arteries were studied by color flow mapping. 47 infants were indeed growth retarded. The resistance- (RI) and pulsatility-indices (PI) of all vessels and their ratios were calculated. The superior parameter evaluated by receiver operating characteristic was the ratio of the PI of the middle cerebral artery in comparison to the PI of the umbilical artery at a threshold value of 1.6. An additional diagnostic value of Doppler sonography was only seen in cases of normal amniotic fluid volume and fetal symmetry, but not in cases of oligohydramnion and fetal asymmetry.