The Role of Clinical, Laboratory and Uterine Artery Doppler in Prediction of Preeclampsia and Pregnancy Outcome

Background: Preeclampsia (PE) influences about two to three percent of pregnancies and is a major contributor to maternal mortality, with an assessed 50,000 deaths/year worldwide. Preeclampsia is a gestation-specific disorder that carries a great risk of maternal and perinatal morbidity and mortality. Aim: To investigate the role of laboratory, clinical, and uterine artery Doppler in the expectation of PE and gestation result. Patients and methods: This case-control research has been conducted at outpatient clinics in Menoufia University Hospital, Faculty of Medicine and Menouf General Hospital. All underwent clinical assessment (including mean arterial pressure, BMI, roll-over test), laboratory investigations (microalbuminuria, mean platelet volume), and uterine artery Doppler velocimetry at 18–22 weeks (repeated at 24–26 weeks if abnormal). Patients were followed until delivery and divided into PE (n=20) and control (n=120) groups. Results: Uterine artery resistive index (RI), pulsatility index (PI), and early diastolic notch at 18–22 weeks were significantly abnormal in the PE group (p<0.001). Microalbuminuria showed 100% sensitivity and specificity for PE prediction. The PE group had significantly higher rates of intrauterine growth restriction (40% vs. 2.5%), preterm labor (30% vs. 5.83%), cesarean delivery, low Apgar scores, low birth weight, and neonatal death (all p<0.05). ROC analysis confirmed high predictive accuracy of RI, PI, and microalbuminuria for PE and adverse outcomes. Conclusion: Uterine artery Doppler parameters combined with microalbuminuria provide valuable predictive value for preeclampsia, while BMI and MAP alone have limited predictive utility. Early identification of high-risk women enables timely intervention to improve pregnancy outcomes.