Umbilical arteries (UA) resistance is assessed to detect growth restriction due to an inadequate placentation in small infants at risk of perinatal death and longterm incapacity. The umbilical artery pulsatility index (UA PI) must be compared with a statistically selected reference chart. Objective: To identify the pulsatility index (PI) reference curve whose critical value best matches our population data. Methods: The cohort was described in a previous study of 1 753 fetuses with 2 031 measurements of the PI of the uterine arteries and umbilical arteries with normal maternal-perinatal outcome. Results: PI UA had a significant negative correlation (r= -0.42) with gestational age (GA). The 95th percentile of our patients was significantly different from those published by Arduini, Acharya, Ciobanu, Baschat and Limay. Conclusion: The umbilical artery pulsatility index figures obtained con...

Introduction: First trimester screening has been performed for over 19 years in Peru, but there is no information on the outcomes. Objective: To determine the prognosis of an increased fetal nuchal thickness (NT). Patients: Ultrasound assessment of fetal nuchal thickness in 10 340 consecutive fetuses, 11 to 13 weeks gestation. Interventions. Fetal screening was performed by nine sonographers accredited by the Fetal Medicine Foundation (FMF); the FMF recommendations were followed. Data were recorded using Astraia software. Results: Thirty-seven (0.36%) fetuses presented NT ≥ 5.5mm. Eight patients were lost to follow up. The remaining 29 cases were included in this report. Prenatal karyotyping was performed in 18 cases; 17 of them were abnormal and presented trisomy 21 (7), trisomy 18 (4), monosomy X (5), and trisomy 22 (1). Four of the seven cases of trisomy 21 were born at term without...

Uterine artery resistance is assessed to detect inadequate placentation in pregnant women, that increases the risk to develop preeclampsia, intrauterine growth restriction and other complications associated with placental insufficiency. Objective: To identify the uterine arteries pulsatility index (UtAPI) reference chart that best fits our institutional data. Methods: Retrospective, cross-sectional study that evaluated 1 753 single pregnancies; 2 031 UtAPI measurements of the uterine arteries were obtained. Mean UtAPI was compared with the reference charts published by Gomez, Limay and Weichert. Results: There was a mild but significant (r=0.16) negative correlation between UtAPI and gestational age between 24 and 40 weeks of gestation; 6.5%, 7.5% and 15% of our measurements were above the 95 centile of respectively Weichert, Limay and Gomez reference charts. Conclusions: In our populati...

Introduction. The combined first-trimester screening test is the international recommendation for prenatal screening of trisomy 21. The combined plus screening test adds one or more ultrasound markers (ductus venosus, tricuspid flow, nasal bone). The contingent test is a two-step protocol of risk assessment that considers all markers only as a contingency in the group with an inconclusive result. Objective: Assessment of the performance of the Kagan biochemical contingent protocol in our population. Methods. All pregnant women between 11 and 13 weeks attended in our unit were assessed with the first-trimester combined plus screening test. We followed the Fetal Medicine Foundation published quality criteria and the International Society of Ultrasound in Obstetrics and Gynaecology guidelines. Results 2 578 single pregnancies were assessed; the foetuses were classified by an initial ultraso...

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is increasingly recognized as an important cause of maternal and perinatal morbidity. We assessed the relation between IPV and risk of spontaneous preterm birth (PTB) among Peruvian women. The study was conducted among 479 pregnant women who delivered a preterm singleton infant (<37 weeks gestation) and 480 controls (≥37 weeks gestation). Participants’ exposure to physical and emotional violence during pregnancy was collected during in-person interviews conducted after delivery and while patients were in hospital. Odds ratios (aOR) and 95 % confidence intervals (CI) were estimated from logistic regression models. The prevalence of any IPV during pregnancy was 52.2 % among cases and 34.6 % among controls. Compared with those reporting no exposure to IPV during pregnancy, women reporting any exposure had a 2.1-fold increased risk of PTB (95 % CI 1.59–2...

Background Little is known about the influence of psychiatric factors on the etiology of placental abruption (PA), an obstetrical condition that complicates 1–2% of pregnancies. We examined the risk of PA in relation to maternal psychiatric symptoms during pregnancy. Methods This case–control study included 373 PA cases and 368 controls delivered at five medical centers in Lima, Peru. Depressive, anxiety and stress symptoms were assessed using the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) and the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales (DASS-21). Multivariable logistic regression models were fit to calculate odds ratios (aOR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) adjusted for confounders. Results Depressive symptoms of increasing severity (using the DASS depression subscale) was associated with PA (p for trend = 0.02). Compared with women with no depressive symptoms, the aOR (95%CI) for PA associate...