Utility of Uterine Doppler Ultrasonography in Prediction of Pre-Eclampsia in Primigravidae

Objective: This study was conducted to ascertain the diagnostic accuracy of Doppler ultrasonography for the diagnosis of pre-eclampsia in primigravidae during second trimester of pregnancy. Methods: This prospective study was conducted at MCH Unit II, Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences, Islamabad from November 2013 to April 2014. 170 primiparous women with singleton pregnancy were included in the study. Doppler Ultrasound was performed on study participants who presented with minimum 20 weeks of gestation and presence or absence of abnormal waveforms was noted. The patients were then followed up till delivery. Those who developed pre-eclampsia were managed according to departmental protocols. Results: Resistive index was found to be more than 0.7 in 81 study participants and pre-eclampsia was diagnosed in 82 patients. Among those who developed pre-eclampsia, 69 patients had a resistive index more than 0.7. The sensitivity, specificity, PPV, NPV and diagnostic accuracy of doppler ultrasonography were 84.15%, 86.37%, 85.18%, 85.4% and 0.85 respectively. Conclusion: Uterine artery doppler ultrasonography can be used for predicting the development of pre-eclampsia in primigravidae.