ERYTHROCYTES IN FETUSES WITH ABNORMAL UMBILICAL ARTERY FLOW VELOCITY WAVE-FORMS

OBJECTIVE: Our purpose was to measure erythrocyte indexes in fetuses with two grades of Doppler-defined umbilical placental insufficiency. STUDY DESIGN: A prospective study comprising 110 infants categorized into control, moderate, and severe groups by umbilical artery waveform studies was undertaken at the University of Sydney at Westmead Hospital. Fetal erythrocyte indexes were measured in umbilical venous blood. Multivariate analyses of variance with post hoc Bonferroni t tests were used in the statistical analysis. RESULTS: The erythrocyte count, hematocrit, and hemoglobin concentration were all significantly higher (p < 0.001) in the two placental insufficiency groups than in the controls. Both placental insufficiency groups were affected to the same extent. CONCLUSIONS: Differences exist in the erythrocyte populations of fetuses with Doppler-defined placental insufficiency compared with controls. Importantly, these differences occur in more than just the most severe Gases. These changes may represent a compensatory response to the placental vascular lesion detected by abnormal umbilical artery waveforms.