Middle Cerebral Artery Doppler in Uncomplicated Term Pregnancy

November 18, 2016 updated by: Dr. Boaz.Weisz, Sheba Medical Center

Variability in Middle Cerebral Artery Doppler Measurements in Uncomplicated Term Pregnancies.

Doppler measurements in the Middle Cerebral Artery (MCA) is a part of the assessment for assessing fetal well-being in complicated pregnancy, including Intra Uterine Growth Retardation and Fetal Anemia.

The use of this Doppler measurement in uncomplicated term pregnancies is not a common practice due to lack of information. However, several studies use the MCA Pulsatility Index (PI) as part of the Cerebro-Placental-Ratio (CPR) measurment at term.

The purpose of this trial is to assess MCA Doppler variability in term, uncomplicated pregnancy.

Study Overview

Status

Unknown

Conditions

Detailed Description

Measuring the resistance in the fetal middle cerebral artery (MCA) is an important factor in assessing fetal well-being. On its own, the Pulsatility Index (PI) in the MCA may indicate a decrease in fetal oxygenation. Furthermore, the PI measured in the Fetal MCA is an index parameter in the calculation of the Cerebro-Placental Ratio (CPR) used to evaluate whether there is an existing disturbance in the Placental-Umbilical and Feto-cerebral circulations. The CPR is a measurement that enables practitioners to predict the fetuses reaction to intrauterine hypoxemia. The CPR measurement is commonly used to evaluate small for gestational age (SGA) fetuses and to distinguish between constitutionally small fetuses and ones that suffer from placental insufficiency. For those who suffer from placental insufficiency, the CPR measurement is an aid in deciding the optimal time and mode of delivery.

Recently, researchers pondered if the CPR measurement may aid in predicting disturbance in fetal oxygenation during delivery. A number of studies have showed that appropriate for gestational age fetuses with abnormal CPR measurements may be susceptible to delivery complications in the same manner as fetuses who suffer from placental insufficiency. The question that is yet to be answered is whether the MCA measurement reliable in term pregnancies. This question arises due to the impression that the MCA measurement at term is highly variable, even when taken under optimal conditions.

The aim of this study is to evaluate the intra-observer variability in the MCA measurement under optimal conditions, in Uncomplicated Term Pregnancies.

Study Type

Observational

Enrollment (Anticipated)

100

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Contact

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

18 years to 50 years (Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Genders Eligible for Study

Female

Sampling Method

Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

Uncomplicated singleton pregnancies at 37-42 weeks.

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

Uncomplicated Term Pregnancies

Exclusion Criteria:

High Risk Pregnancies including placental insufficiency, intrauterine growth retardation or any maternal vascular disease.

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Observational Models: Cohort
  • Time Perspectives: Prospective

Cohorts and Interventions

Group / Cohort
MCA-PI
Measurement Middle cerebral artery pulsatility index

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Pulsatility index (Doppler measurements) in the middle cerebral artery
Time Frame: Full Term Pregnancies (37 to 42 weeks)
Measurement MCA-PI Doppler
Full Term Pregnancies (37 to 42 weeks)

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: Boaz Weisz, Prof, Sheba Medical Center

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start

November 1, 2016

Primary Completion (Anticipated)

November 1, 2016

Study Completion (Anticipated)

March 1, 2017

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

November 13, 2016

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

November 16, 2016

First Posted (Estimate)

November 18, 2016

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Estimate)

November 21, 2016

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

November 18, 2016

Last Verified

November 1, 2016

More Information

Terms related to this study

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • 3571-16-SMC

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

Undecided

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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