Abstract
Objective
To characterize tracheal fluid flow during fetal breathing movements by Doppler ultrasound.
Study design
To use pulsed Doppler to measure flow velocity during inspiration and expiration in
a cross-sectional study of 15 normal fetuses and determine the correlation, if any,
between flow velocity and gestational age.
Results
Cyclic respiratory profiles – both regular and irregular – were observed. Intratracheal
flow velocity was very elevated during inspiration, ranging from 10 to 80 cm/s and from 5 to 20 cm/s during expiration.
Conclusion
This technique enables the noninvasive semiquantitative evaluation of fetal breathing
movements. This Doppler application opens the field for future studies to characterize
the extent of pulmonary hypoplasia.
Keywords
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: November 09, 2009
Accepted:
October 19,
2009
Received in revised form:
July 5,
2009
Received:
February 25,
2009
Identification
Copyright
© 2009 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
