Uterine artery Doppler ultrasonography appears to be a useful predictor of pre-eclampsia and intrauterine growth restriction, but is more accurate in predicting the former, according to a systematic review. Researchers identified 74 studies of pre-eclampsia and 61 studies of intrauterine growth restriction — a total of over 120 000 patients. When performed in the second trimester of pregnancy, uterine artery Doppler was found to be more accurate than in the first trimester. Pulsatility index, a measure of systolic and diastolic uterine artery blood flow, was the most useful of the Doppler indices for predicting pre-eclampsia.
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