Correlation of Doppler Indices Within the Umbilical Vein Compared With Gestational Age and Fetal Weight in a Normal Pregnancy

Objective: Given the sophistication of ultrasonography, it is possible to explore and better comprehend the link between gestational age (GA), fetal weight (FW), and the diameter of the umbilical vein (UV). Therefore, the aim of this study was to determine whether a correlation exists between the Doppler indices, within the UV, compared with GA and FW, in a normal pregnancy. Materials and Methods: The design of this work was a cross-sectional analytical study. The sample size was calculated to include a sample size of 61, for statistical significance. A convenient sampling technique was used to collect the data. The inclusion criteria were to recruit pregnant women between the ages of 18 and 45 years, in the second and third trimester of pregnancy. In this cohort, the exclusion criteria were to be no co-existing maternal medical conditions chronic hypertension, gestational diabetes, cardiovascular problems, infections, hypercoagulability, and endocrine disorders. Results: A total of 61 pregnant women participated in this study, with a mean age of 25.21 ± 2.79 years. The mean GA was 32.4 ± 6.5 weeks. GA demonstrated a strong positive correlation with UV diameter ( r = .772, p < .001), UV velocity ( r = .687, p < .001), and UV volume ( r = .732, p < .001). UV diameter showed a strong positive correlation with UV velocity ( r = .593, p < .001) and an even stronger positive correlation with UV volume ( r = .928, p < .001). UV velocity showed a strong positive correlation with UV volume ( r = .754, p < .001). These findings may suggest that as GA increases, there are corresponding increases in UV diameter, velocity, and volume. Conclusion: In this cohort, the data collected demonstrated significant correlations between UV Doppler indices, GA, and FW, in normal pregnancies.