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Doppler Middle Cerebral Artery Peak Systolic Velocity for Diagnosis of Neonatal Anemia
Author(s) -
Weissman Amir,
Olanovski Irena,
Weiner Zeev,
Blazer Shraga
Publication year - 2012
Publication title -
journal of ultrasound in medicine
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.574
H-Index - 91
eISSN - 1550-9613
pISSN - 0278-4297
DOI - 10.7863/jum.2012.31.9.1381
Subject(s) - medicine , middle cerebral artery , cardiology , doppler effect , anemia , cerebral arteries , ischemia , physics , astronomy
Objectives The peak systolic velocity (PSV) of the middle cerebral artery was found to be predictive of fetal anemia and is routinely applied in the treatment of such fetuses. Our objective was to determine whether a correlation exists between the PSV in the neonatal middle cerebral artery and hemoglobin levels for possible future implementation in clinical practice. Methods A prospective study on 151 neonates was conducted, examining their middle cerebral artery PSV concomitantly with their hemoglobin level during the first 36 hours after delivery. The study population included 122 normocythemic, 24 anemic, and 5 polycythemic neonates. An analysis of variance between normocythemic, anemic, and polycythemic neonates was performed, and a regression analysis of the PSV versus hemoglobin levels was conducted. Results The normocythemic neonates had a mean middle cerebral artery PSV ± SD of 41.3 ± 11.4 cm/s, whereas the anemic neonates had a significantly higher PSV (63.8 ± 28.5 cm/s), and the polycythemic neonates had a significantly lower PSV (26.8 ± 7.4 cm/s; P < .001). A statistically significant correlation was found between hemoglobin levels and the middle cerebral artery PSV ( P < .01). Conclusions Neonatal anemia and polycythemia can be rapidly diagnosed at the bedside by examining the middle cerebral artery PSV. This technique can be used as an ancillary measure to promptly diagnose acute neonatal blood volume changes for an immediate intervention.