Transvaginal color Doppler in the assessment of abnormal early pregnancy

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Abstract
The study groups comprised 61 pregnant women whose gestational age ranged from 7 to 12 weeks from the last menstrual period. All patients apparently had a normal developing pregnancy; there were no clinical symptoms of pathology e.g. bleeding in early pregnancy. Eighty-two patients with a clinically and ultrasonographically normal pregnancy whose gestational age ranged from 7 to 12 weeks, served as a control group. When the anatomical position of investigated area have been obtained clearly, pulsed wave Doppler sample volume was placed on the structures of interest: the both uterine arteries and intervillous space. There is no statistically significant difference between the Resistance Index (RI) in the left or right uterine artery (P greater than 0.01) and among investigated groups of patients (P greater than 0.01). The intervillous blood flow RI in the case of molar pregnancy was 0.38 with SD +/- 0.03; in blighted ovum 0.43 with SD +/- 0.03, and in missed abortion 0.43 with SD +/- 0.02. It should be stressed that in nine (31%) cases of blighted ova and in five (26%) cases of missed abortion, intervillous space flow could not be detected. In the control group, intervillous blood flow was always visualized and the mean RI was 0.45 with SD - 0.04. Statistical analysis showed significantly higher RI in control group in comparison with other groups of patients (P less than 0.01), and significantly lower RI in molar pregnancy in comparison with other groups of patients (P less than 0.01). There was no difference in RI between blighted ova and missed abortions (P greater than 0.01).