Doppler ultrasound in pregnancy: what is it, the procedure description and decoding

Throughout the gestation period, a womanmust undergo a number of studies, including ultrasound. With the help of ultrasound, you can determine the condition of the fetus, the usefulness of its development and, if necessary, prescribe a treatment in a timely manner or take a cardinal decision with regard to further pregnancy.

What is Doppler?

Many women who are pregnant for the first timethe child, the question interests: "the Doppler ultrasound at pregnancy - what is it such?". At its core, Doppler ultrasound is a kind of ultrasound. The main goal of the study is to assess the state of blood circulation in the arteries of the uterus, the placenta and the umbilical cord and determine the functionality of the fetal site. Dopplerometry makes it possible to detect circulatory disorders, which carries a very high predictive value. This kind of research allows to determine the presence of placental insufficiency or to reveal delays in fetal development.

Diagnosis is carried out in the "mother-placenta-child" format. This type of examination is mandatory for every pregnant woman.

Doppler uzi during pregnancy what is it?

Distinctive features

There is a huge difference between conventional ultrasound and Doppler. The latter technique has such distinctive features:

allows you to determine how healthy your child's heart muscle is;
determines the patency of the umbilical cord;
assesses the functioning of the placenta;
it makes it possible to detect the fetal entanglement of the umbilical cord;
allows to determine how well the blood vessels of the fetus are supplied with blood;
reveals the presence of fetal hypoxia.

The device allows you to determine the speed of blood flow, and in different vessels and arteries of the brain, the umbilical cord, the aorta and the mother's uterus.

When is the examination scheduled?

Once a woman has become pregnant, she mustto find out in what terms the US doppler during pregnancy is carried out. Therefore, as soon as possible, you need to go to a medical facility and register. Depending on the state of the future mother, the presence of chronic diseases and age, the doctor develops a specific plan of action, selects the necessary studies. Dopplerography is mandatory two times during the gestation period. The first examination is conducted between the 18th and 21st weeks of pregnancy. The second period is 32-34 weeks.

Doppler ultrasound in pregnancy: what is it? First of all, this is the definition of the norm. If there are deviations between the time limits, additional studies on the doppler may be assigned. Factors that can lead a physician to designate a study include:

increase in blood pressure in a woman;
presence of bad habits, from which the future mother did not wish to refuse for the period of bearing the fetus;
kidney pathology;
water scarcity or polyhydramnios;
preeclampsia;
toxicosis;
chronic and hereditary pathologies present in the anamnesis;
Rhesus-conflict;
the presence of more than one fetus;
diabetes;
gestosis;
incompatibility of gestational age with the size of the fetus;
unsatisfactory cardiotocography.

Preparation for research

To make an ultrasound doppler during pregnancy, no preliminary preparation is required, because this is a standard ultrasound technique.

The only thing that can alert the patient: she can hear the knocking of the heart of the fetus and the sounds characteristic of the flow of blood through the veins and arteries. But this need not be feared, it is just a distinctive feature of this type of examination.

How is the diagnosis done and is it harmful?

A common question: "How do doppler ultrasound in pregnancy?". Diagnostic measures for the patient are no different from the usual ultrasound. The woman lies on the couch, a special gel is applied to her stomach, and research is being conducted. But then the doctor's actions are somewhat different. To begin with, an ordinary examination is carried out and if a "suspicious" vessel is detected, the Doppler function on the ultrasound apparatus is turned on. After that, the monitor will see a close-up of the vessel, blood flow. The device is able to independently detect abnormalities and provide information.

No harm in the diagnosis of an ultrasound machineno, so do not worry. More harm to yourself and the fetus can be done if you experience it. On the contrary, diagnostics can prevent possible complications.

Over the past 50 years, many studies have been carried out that did not reveal any negative effects on the human body of ultrasound devices.

Types of research

The examination can be carried out in two modes:

duplex;
triplex.

Duplex mode - what is it? Doppler ultrasound in pregnancy in this mode allows you to get almost complete information about the vessel, assess its patency and in the presence of violations in a timely manner to identify them.

Triplex mode - this is just a color image, which gives a complete picture of what is happening in the vessel under investigation. The results obtained in this mode are considered more reliable.

Norms for diagnosis

For most women there is little knowledge that this issuch - a dopler ultrasound in pregnancy. They want to know which indicators are the norm, and in which cases the deviations may indicate problems with the fetus.

In the diagnosis, three main indicators are taken into account:

SDO or S / D, i.e., systolic-diastolicrelation. The index is calculated by dividing the maximum blood velocity in systole (that is, fixed at the time of contraction of the heart muscle) by the rate that is fixed at the time of heart relaxation (i.e., diastolic exponent). For each vessel, the indicators are completely different.
Resistance index (IR). It is determined by dividing the difference between the maximum and minimum blood flow velocity.
The pulsation index (PI) is also determined by dividing, but the difference between the maximum and minimum speed is divided by the average blood flow for the entire cardiac cycle.

All these indicators are combined into one group - ISS, that is, indices of vascular resistance.

Indicators of the norm for doppler ultrasound in pregnancy

Uterine arteries:

Pregnancy, weeks	FROM TO	IR
20th-23rd	2,23	0,561
24th - 27th	2,158	0,536
28th - 31st	2,123	0,544
32nd - 35th	2,142	0,524
36th - 41st	2,064	0,511

Spiral arteries:

Pregnancy, weeks	FROM TO	IR
20th-23rd	1,735	0,392
24th - 27th	1,732	0,431
28th - 31st	1,752	0,383
32nd - 35th	1,706	0,422
36th - 41st	1,674	0,403

Arteries of the umbilical cord:

Pregnancy, weeks	FROM TO	IR
20th-23rd	3,912	0,791
24th - 27th	3,823	0,743
28th - 31st	3,174	0,712
32nd - 35th	2,821	0,634
36th - 41st	2,552	0,625

The tables indicate the boundary indicators, that is, a parameter that does not exceed the one given in the table is considered normal.

If there are deviations from the norm, then do not panic immediately. On the contrary, the doctor has the opportunity to start therapy as quickly as possible and prevent an unfavorable outcome of pregnancy.

If violations in the blood stream are detected

The revealed deviations in the deciphering of doppler ultrasound in pregnancy can confirm the presence and extent of abnormalities in the utero-placental and fetus-placental system.

When confirming the first degree of violationblood flow there is a great chance that the pregnancy will still be full, and the birth will be natural. But it is possible, if before birth there will be no complications and a worsening of the blood flow.

In principle, the first degree of deviation from the norm is notleads to the death of the fetus. Usually, the examination is carried out with a periodicity of 2 weeks and the control of CTG is made. The blood pressure of the expectant mother is subject to mandatory control.

In the second stage of blood flow problemsare observed in the vessels of the uterus and umbilical cord. In such a situation, a woman and a child require constant monitoring in a medical institution. It is possible to carry out therapeutic measures that will eliminate the oxygen starvation of the fetus.

The third stage of impaired blood flow is characterized byThe fact that high-speed quantitative indicators tend to zero. There may be reversed blood flow at a time when the heart muscle is relaxed. In this situation, the following measures can be taken:

if the gestational age is 22 or more weeks, surgery may be recommended;
if the period is still too short, intensive therapy is prescribed so that the woman can deliver the fetus at least up to 22 weeks.

Examination at home

Medicine and technology are not standing still. To date, even developed a device that allows you to monitor the development of the fetus at home. In this case, there will be no question on what term of pregnancy the ultrasound-doppler is carried out. Although it is not necessary to miss planned diagnostics, especially if there are factors in the history that predispose to a worsening of the blood flow or chronic diseases.

Portable doppler allows you to clearly hear the baby's heartbeat, and this is the mother's peace of mind. If there are any suspicions regarding the health of the fetus, you can immediately consult a doctor.

Gynecologists recommend using such a device not before the onset of the 16th week. For procedures it is necessary to acquire a gel of only high quality and from trusted suppliers.

What do pregnant women say?

To date, there is only a smallthe percentage of women who avoid study after the conception of a child, including ultrasound. In most cases, the future mother is ready to take care of the health of her baby. However, the reality is that even a blood test can not be done free of charge.

The average price of doppler ultrasound in pregnancy is 1.5-2thousand rubles. If we talk about a full screening and volumetric study, which can be supplemented by video recording, then this "pleasure" will cost 4-5 thousand rubles. As a rule, the price varies depending on the status of the clinic and the location.

At the same time in the state polyclinic, whereserviced by a future mother, there must be an ultrasound machine with Doppler function. If a woman sends a doctor for a referral survey, then it should be done free of charge.

Finally

When a child is coveted and a woman worries about hishealth, then the question of how much an ultrasound doppler costs during pregnancy does not arise. There will always be money to prevent possible pitiable consequences. A future mother should not neglect the recommendations of a doctor to report a pregnancy and give birth to a baby in due time.