Ultrasound blood flow characteristics changes in fetal umbilical artery thrombosis:A retrospective analysis

BACKGROUND Umbilical artery thrombosis(UAT)is extremely uncommon and leads to adverse perinatal outcomes.Hypercoagulation of blood in pregnant women is suspected to be an important risk for UAT.Ultrasound is an effective way to detect thrombosis.The mother can monitor her own fetal health using ultrasound,which enables her to take preventative action in case of emergency.AIM To investigate ultrasonic blood signal after UAT in the umbilical artery,and evaluate the relationship between hypercoagulability and UAT.METHODS We described a case of a newly formed UAT with markedly altered ultrasonic indices of umbilical artery blood flow,and retrospectively studied it with 18 UAT patients confirmed by histopathology from October 2019 and March 2023 in Xiamen Women and Children's Hospital.Patients’information was collected from medical archives,including maternal clinical data,neonatal outcomes,pathological findings and ultrasonic indices of umbilical artery blood flow,such as systolic-diastolic duration ratio(S/D),resistance index(RI),pulsatility index(PI)and peak systolic velocity(PSV).Ultrasound and coagulation indices were analyzed with matched samples t-test and Wilcoxon rank sum test using the statistical packages in R(version 4.2.1)including car(version 3.1-0)and stats(version 4.2.1),and visualized by ggplot2 package(version 3.3.6).RESULTS A patient with normal findings in second and third-trimester routine ultrasound scan developed UAT with severe changes in ultrasonic indices of umbilical artery blood flow(within 2.5th of reference ranges)in a short period of time.Statistical analysis of umbilical artery blood flow ultrasound indices for 19 patients with UAT showed that the decrease in S/D,RI,and PI and increase of PSV during the disease process was greater than that of non-UAT.All 18 patients delivered in our hospital showed characteristic manifestations of UAT on histological examination after delivery,most of which(16/18)showed umbilical cord abnormalities,with 15 umbilical cord torsion and 1 pseudoknot.Coagulation parameters were not significantly changed in UAT patients compared with normal pregnancy women.CONCLUSION Significant changes in ultrasound indicators after UAT were demonstrated.PSV can play important roles in the diagnosis of UAT.Hypercoagulability alone is not sufficient for the occurrence of UAT.

Comparison of Ultrasound Blood Flow Characteristics of the Lower Limb in Diabetics with Early-Stage Peripheral Artery Disease and Non-Diabetic Controls

The aim of this study was to compare lower limb blood flow in asymptomatic diabetic patients with early-stage peripheral artery disease (PAD) and non-diabetic controls using duplex ultrasound parameters. This was a comparative cohort study of lower limb blood flow in 35 Black-African diabetic patients (25 females and 10 males with early-stage PAD median age 54 [IQR, 47 - 61] years;median HbA1c 6.3 [IQR, 5.7 - 8.0]%;BMI 29.2 ± 6.7;ABI 1.1 ± 0.1) and 36 non-diabetic controls (28 females and 8 males;median age 54 [IQR, 47 - 61] years;median HbA1c 6.3 [IQR, 5.7 - 8.0] %, BMI 29.2 ± 6.7;ABI 1.1 ± 0.1). Peak systolic velocity (PSV), pulsatility index (PI) and resistive index (RI), were utilised to compare blood flow in the popliteal arteries (PA), anterior tibial arteries (ATA) and posterior tibial arteries (PTA) in addition to ankle brachial index. All the ultrasound parameters showed good (ICC ≥ 0.7;0.50 - 0.85, 95% CI) to excellent (ICC = 1.0;1.0 - 1.0, 95% CI) reliability within groups as well as acceptable variability () other than pulsatility index of the anterior tibial artery within diabetic patients (11.1% CV). PSV, RI and PI were significantly and meaningfully higher (P;d ≥ 0.33), in diabetic patients compared to non-diabetic controls except for PI - PTA (P = 0.72;d = 0.11). Differences in PSV and RI highlighted the effects of early-stage PAD on lower limb blood flow of diabetic patients. In contrast, the effects of early-stage PAD on blood flow were not demonstrated in the PTA and ATA of diabetic patients by PI.

Peak systolic velocity Doppler of middle cerebral artery in small for gestational age （SGA） fetus

BACKGROUND： Small for gestational age （SGA） has high frequency which increases the risk of long-term adverse outcomes. Thus the aim of this study was to evaluate peak systolic velocity Doppler of middle cerebral artery （MCA） in SGA fetus in order to find appropriate method to diagnosis SGA sooner. MATERIALS and METHODS： This prospective longitudinal study was conducted on 90 pregnant women with a diagnosis of SGA fetus and 90 pregnant women with normal fetus. Then MCA and umbilical artery assessment were performed for all subjects and compared between two groups. RESULTS： Doppler assessment showed that umbilical artery PI was significantly higher in SGA group as compared to normal group （1.114-0.37 vs 0.984-0.18, P = 0.003）, while MCA PI was significantly lower in SGA group （1.77±0.44 vs 1.92±0.47, P = 0.028）. On the other hand, PSV did not differ between the groups （P = 0.592）. Moreover, we found that PSV was more in SGA group by grouping maternal age （〈 27 years） （P = 0.006）, and gestational age （〉 34 weeks） （P 〈 0.001）. CONCLUSION： The results of this study suggest that MCA PI decreased significantly in SGA fetuses, while UA PI increased in this group. Moreover, PSV increased in this group when evaluated in different subgroups （based on maternal age and gestational age）.

Impact of low-intensity extracorporeal shockwave therapy on vascular parameters and sexual function in patients with arteriogenic erectile dysfunction

Previous published studies have shown an improvement of penile hemodynamic parameters after low-intensity extracorporeal shockwave therapy(Li-ESWT).However,the clinical significance of these findings remains unclear,and definitive selection criteria for Li-ESWT based on preexisting comorbidities have yet to be established.This was an observational study of 113 patients with ED,evaluated between January 2019 and December 2021 in Andrology Unit at the Department of Urology and Renal Transplantation,University of Foggia(Foggia,Italy).Penile dynamic Doppler was performed to evaluate vascular parameters and 5-item version of the International Index of Erectile Dysfunction(IIEF-5)questionnaire was administered to assess the severity of ED.This was repeated 1 month after treatment.Patients with a peak systolic velocity(PSV)<30 cm s−1 were considered eligible for Li-ESWT.Our protocol consisted of 8 weekly sessions with 1500 strokes distributed in 5 different locations along the penis.After treatment,a significant mean(±standard deviation[s.d.])PSV increase of 5.0(±3.4)cm s−1 was recorded and 52/113(46.0%)patients reached a PSV>30 cm s−1 at posttherapeutic penile dynamic Doppler.A clinically significant IIEF-5 score improvement was observed in 7 patients,21 patients,and 2 patients with mild-to-moderate,moderate,and severe pretreatment ED,respectively.No different outcomes were assessed based on smoking habits,previous pelvic surgery,or use of oral phosphodiesterase-5 inhibitor(PDE5i).On the other side,only 1(6.7%)in 15 patients with diabetes mellitus showed an IIEF-5 score improvement after Li-ESWT.Shockwave treatment determined a significant increase in PSV and correlated IIEF-5 improvement in ED patients.This advantage seemed particularly evident for moderate ED and was not affected by smoking habits,previous pelvic surgery,and use of PDE5i.Conversely,diabetic patients did not benefit from the treatment.