The aim of this study was to asses the correlation of middle cerebral artery
pulsatility index (MCA-PI) and perinatal outcomes in prolonged pregnancies.
STUDY DESIGN:
This was a prospective study of all consecutive pregnant women beyond 41 weeks’
gestation attending for obstetric surveillance during a two years period. We evaluated
the predictive value of MCA-PI lower than the 5th percentile (<p5) and the occurrence
of: cesarean delivery for fetal distress, 5-min Apgar score <7, arterial cord
pH < 7.15, presence of thick meconium at delivery, need for admission to the neonatal
intensive care and/or neonatal death.
RESULTS:
Three hundred and one pregnancies met the inclusion criteria and were managed
expectantly. Of them, 31 (10.3%) fetuses had an MCA-PI < p5, which showed a
significant relationship with the presence of thick meconium at birth
(p < 0.001), but was not related to any of the other perinatal
outcomes.
CONCLUSION:
In prolonged pregnancies, the finding of MCA-PI < p5 is related to meconium emission
at the time of delivery, but is not associated with an increased risk of adverse
perinatal outcome.
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