Betamethasone effects on ovine uterine and umbilical placental perfusion at the dose used to enhance fetal lung maturation

Objective The purpose of this study was to examine glucocorticoid effects on umbilical placental perfusion. Study design Pregnant sheep instrumented with uterine and umbilical ultrasound transit-time flow probes received 2 doses of 12 mg betamethasone (n = 6) or saline (n = 5) intramuscularly 24 hours apart. Results Maternal blood pressure and uterine flow did not change during glucocorticoid exposure. Fetal blood pressure increased, and umbilical resistance showed a transient increase after each injection (P< .05), followed by an increase of umbilical flow (P< .05) that was closely correlated to an increase in fetal heart rate (r = 0.85, P< .001), which determines cardiac output of the developing heart. Umbilical waveform indices were decreased over the entire treatment period, indicating a decrease of resistance in the fetoplacental microcirculation (P< .05). Conclusion Fetoplacental perfusion during glucocorticoid exposure is not limiting for nutrition exchange. Clinical interpretation of Doppler waveform indices needs to be interpreted with caution because they do not reflect dynamics of umbilical placental perfusion.