Fetal Pulmonary Artery Doppler in Mothers with Preeclampsia for Detecting Neonatal Respiratory Distress

Preclampsia (PE) represent a major concern in public health, affecting 2-8% of all pregnancies and considered one of the leading causes of perinatal morbidity and mortality. fetal growth restriction (FGR) ia also a common health problem affecting about 5-10% of all pregnancies and commonly associates with preeclampsia . It is estimated that 20% of cases of PE present with FGR and about 50% of early-onset FGR cases will eventually coexist with PE.

Preeclampsia affects about 5% of pregnancies and hypertensive disorders of pregnancy cause over 60,000 maternal fatalities each year around the world .The decision to deliver a woman with severe pre-eclampsia that is far from the term [mid-trimester] is difficult for the obstetrician.In most cases of highly premature pre-eclamptic gestation, certain institutions propose continuing pregnancy until one of the following occurs development of fetal lung maturity, development of fetal or maternal discomfort, or accomplishment of gestational age of 34 to 36-week of gestation .

Numerous tests have been developed in an attempt to identify if fetal lung maturation has reached a level sufficient to prevent the development of fetal RDS. These tests are based on four core themes: biochemical testing for active surfactant components, biophysical testing for surfactant functionality, physical testing of amniotic fluid opacity, and ultrasound examination of the fetuses and their tissues . Neonatal RDS has been predicted using fetal pulmonary artery Doppler. Kim and colleagues discovered that a high PAT/ET was linked to newborn RDS .The development of RDS in preterm newborns is linked to an increased acceleration time to ejection time [AT/ET] ratio in the fetal pulmonary artery .