Relationship between general movements in neonates who were growth restricted in utero and prenatal Doppler flow patterns

Objective To investigate whether Doppler pulsatility indices (PIs) of the fetal circulation in cases of fetal growth restriction (FGR) are associated with the general movements (GMs) of the neonate after birth.Methods This was a prospective observational cohort study including pregnancies with FGR diagnosed between June 2012 and September 2014. A diagnosis of FGR was based on an abdominal circumference or estimated fetal weightResults Forty-eight FGR cases were included with a median gestational age at delivery of 35 (range, 26-40) weeks. UA-PI, MCA-PI and CPR correlated strongly (rho, -0.374 to 0.472; PConclusion Fetal arterial Doppler measurements are associated with the quality of neonatal GMs 1 week after birth, but this association is no longer evident at 3months post-term. Brain sparing in particular is associated strongly with GMs of an abnormal quality. Copyright (C) 2016 ISUOG. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.