Doppler and maternal serum screening in the prediction of pregnancy complications

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: To compare the effectiveness of uterine artery Doppler and maternal serum screening in the prediction of pregnancy complications. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Prospective study with 49 Primigravidae at their 18th gestational week, when a blood sample was collected for serum dosage by chemiluminescence (alpha-fetoprotein, human chorionic gonadotropin and nitric oxide) and radioimmunoassay (atrial natriuretic peptide). Uterine artery Doppler was performed between the 24th and 26th gestational weeks, for determining the presence or absence of notch in the flow velocity waveform. The non-parametric Mann-Whitney test was utilized for statistical analysis, and the Fisher exact test for analys..