Intima-Media Thickness Measurements in the Fetus and Mother During Pregnancy: A Feasibility Study

DALI Core Investigator Group

doi:10.1016/j.ultrasmedbio.2014.02.018

Intima-Media Thickness Measurements in the Fetus and Mother During Pregnancy: A Feasibility Study

DALI Core Investigator Group

Department of Clinical Medicine

6 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Fetal intima-media thickness (IMT) has been suggested as a marker of pre-clinical atherosclerosis, and maternal IMT could be altered through dynamic circumstances related to pregnancy. We investigated the feasibility of measurement of IMT at four pre-defined fetal and four pre-defined maternal arterial locations to determine vascular changes that could be associated with impaired vascular function. IMT was measured from the first to third trimester (12-34 wk), in 38 low-risk pregnancies. We imaged a 10-mm region of interest using a Mindray (Shenzhen, China) high-resolution ultrasound machine with automated IMT measurement software. Fetal abdominal aorta IMT was measurable during the second trimester in 71% and during the third trimester in 100% of the case, and umbilical artery IMT was measurable in 50% and 82% of cases during the second and third trimesters, respectively. Fetal IMT measurements were not possible during the first trimester. It was not often feasible to measure the IMT of the fetal common carotid artery, fetal renal artery and maternal iliac artery (maximal 20% of cases). Maternal common carotid artery, abdominal aorta and uterine artery IMTs were measurable throughout pregnancy. There was a significant relation between gestational age and IMT in the umbilical artery (p = 0.03) and a significant relation between body mass index and IMT in the maternal common carotid artery (p = 0.01). IMT measurements are feasible in some maternal and fetal vessels of interest. Further studies are underway to obtain more insight into vascular development during normal and pathologic pregnancies.

Original language	English
Journal	Ultrasound in Medicine & Biology
Volume	40
Issue number	9
Pages (from-to)	1949-1957
Number of pages	9
ISSN	0301-5629
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ultrasmedbio.2014.02.018
Publication status	Published - Sept 2014

Keywords

Adolescent
Adult
Aorta, Abdominal
Body Mass Index
Carotid Arteries
Carotid Intima-Media Thickness
Cross-Sectional Studies
Feasibility Studies
Female
Fetal Heart
Follow-Up Studies
Gestational Age
Humans
Image Processing, Computer-Assisted
Mothers
Pregnancy
Pregnancy Complications, Cardiovascular
Renal Artery
Reproducibility of Results
Ultrasonography, Prenatal
Umbilical Arteries
Uterine Artery
Young Adult

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10.1016/j.ultrasmedbio.2014.02.018

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@article{490cc67d865d44fabaed72002d2b4901,

title = "Intima-Media Thickness Measurements in the Fetus and Mother During Pregnancy: A Feasibility Study",

abstract = "Fetal intima-media thickness (IMT) has been suggested as a marker of pre-clinical atherosclerosis, and maternal IMT could be altered through dynamic circumstances related to pregnancy. We investigated the feasibility of measurement of IMT at four pre-defined fetal and four pre-defined maternal arterial locations to determine vascular changes that could be associated with impaired vascular function. IMT was measured from the first to third trimester (12-34 wk), in 38 low-risk pregnancies. We imaged a 10-mm region of interest using a Mindray (Shenzhen, China) high-resolution ultrasound machine with automated IMT measurement software. Fetal abdominal aorta IMT was measurable during the second trimester in 71% and during the third trimester in 100% of the case, and umbilical artery IMT was measurable in 50% and 82% of cases during the second and third trimesters, respectively. Fetal IMT measurements were not possible during the first trimester. It was not often feasible to measure the IMT of the fetal common carotid artery, fetal renal artery and maternal iliac artery (maximal 20% of cases). Maternal common carotid artery, abdominal aorta and uterine artery IMTs were measurable throughout pregnancy. There was a significant relation between gestational age and IMT in the umbilical artery (p = 0.03) and a significant relation between body mass index and IMT in the maternal common carotid artery (p = 0.01). IMT measurements are feasible in some maternal and fetal vessels of interest. Further studies are underway to obtain more insight into vascular development during normal and pathologic pregnancies.",

keywords = "Adolescent, Adult, Aorta, Abdominal, Body Mass Index, Carotid Arteries, Carotid Intima-Media Thickness, Cross-Sectional Studies, Feasibility Studies, Female, Fetal Heart, Follow-Up Studies, Gestational Age, Humans, Image Processing, Computer-Assisted, Mothers, Pregnancy, Pregnancy Complications, Cardiovascular, Renal Artery, Reproducibility of Results, Ultrasonography, Prenatal, Umbilical Arteries, Uterine Artery, Young Adult",

author = "Sander Galjaard and Pasman, {Suzanne A} and Lieveke Ameye and Dirk Timmerman and Roland Devlieger and Peter Damm and Elisabeth Mathiesen and {DALI Core Investigator Group}",

year = "2014",

month = sep,

doi = "10.1016/j.ultrasmedbio.2014.02.018",

language = "English",

volume = "40",

pages = "1949--1957",

journal = "Ultrasound in Medicine & Biology",

issn = "0301-5629",

publisher = "Elsevier",

number = "9",

}

TY - JOUR

T1 - Intima-Media Thickness Measurements in the Fetus and Mother During Pregnancy

T2 - A Feasibility Study

AU - Galjaard, Sander

AU - Pasman, Suzanne A

AU - Ameye, Lieveke

AU - Timmerman, Dirk

AU - Devlieger, Roland

AU - Damm, Peter

AU - Mathiesen, Elisabeth

AU - DALI Core Investigator Group

PY - 2014/9

Y1 - 2014/9

N2 - Fetal intima-media thickness (IMT) has been suggested as a marker of pre-clinical atherosclerosis, and maternal IMT could be altered through dynamic circumstances related to pregnancy. We investigated the feasibility of measurement of IMT at four pre-defined fetal and four pre-defined maternal arterial locations to determine vascular changes that could be associated with impaired vascular function. IMT was measured from the first to third trimester (12-34 wk), in 38 low-risk pregnancies. We imaged a 10-mm region of interest using a Mindray (Shenzhen, China) high-resolution ultrasound machine with automated IMT measurement software. Fetal abdominal aorta IMT was measurable during the second trimester in 71% and during the third trimester in 100% of the case, and umbilical artery IMT was measurable in 50% and 82% of cases during the second and third trimesters, respectively. Fetal IMT measurements were not possible during the first trimester. It was not often feasible to measure the IMT of the fetal common carotid artery, fetal renal artery and maternal iliac artery (maximal 20% of cases). Maternal common carotid artery, abdominal aorta and uterine artery IMTs were measurable throughout pregnancy. There was a significant relation between gestational age and IMT in the umbilical artery (p = 0.03) and a significant relation between body mass index and IMT in the maternal common carotid artery (p = 0.01). IMT measurements are feasible in some maternal and fetal vessels of interest. Further studies are underway to obtain more insight into vascular development during normal and pathologic pregnancies.

AB - Fetal intima-media thickness (IMT) has been suggested as a marker of pre-clinical atherosclerosis, and maternal IMT could be altered through dynamic circumstances related to pregnancy. We investigated the feasibility of measurement of IMT at four pre-defined fetal and four pre-defined maternal arterial locations to determine vascular changes that could be associated with impaired vascular function. IMT was measured from the first to third trimester (12-34 wk), in 38 low-risk pregnancies. We imaged a 10-mm region of interest using a Mindray (Shenzhen, China) high-resolution ultrasound machine with automated IMT measurement software. Fetal abdominal aorta IMT was measurable during the second trimester in 71% and during the third trimester in 100% of the case, and umbilical artery IMT was measurable in 50% and 82% of cases during the second and third trimesters, respectively. Fetal IMT measurements were not possible during the first trimester. It was not often feasible to measure the IMT of the fetal common carotid artery, fetal renal artery and maternal iliac artery (maximal 20% of cases). Maternal common carotid artery, abdominal aorta and uterine artery IMTs were measurable throughout pregnancy. There was a significant relation between gestational age and IMT in the umbilical artery (p = 0.03) and a significant relation between body mass index and IMT in the maternal common carotid artery (p = 0.01). IMT measurements are feasible in some maternal and fetal vessels of interest. Further studies are underway to obtain more insight into vascular development during normal and pathologic pregnancies.

KW - Adolescent

KW - Adult

KW - Aorta, Abdominal

KW - Body Mass Index

KW - Carotid Arteries

KW - Carotid Intima-Media Thickness

KW - Cross-Sectional Studies

KW - Feasibility Studies

KW - Female

KW - Fetal Heart

KW - Follow-Up Studies

KW - Gestational Age

KW - Humans

KW - Image Processing, Computer-Assisted

KW - Mothers

KW - Pregnancy

KW - Pregnancy Complications, Cardiovascular

KW - Renal Artery

KW - Reproducibility of Results

KW - Ultrasonography, Prenatal

KW - Umbilical Arteries

KW - Uterine Artery

KW - Young Adult

U2 - 10.1016/j.ultrasmedbio.2014.02.018

DO - 10.1016/j.ultrasmedbio.2014.02.018

M3 - Journal article

C2 - 24882524

SN - 0301-5629

VL - 40

SP - 1949

EP - 1957

JO - Ultrasound in Medicine & Biology

JF - Ultrasound in Medicine & Biology

IS - 9

ER -

Intima-Media Thickness Measurements in the Fetus and Mother During Pregnancy: A Feasibility Study

Abstract

Keywords

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