Protocol for the e-POWUS Project: multicentre blinded-randomised controlled trial of ultrasound speed choice to improve sonography quality in pregnant women with obesity.

introductionDuring pregnancy, maternal obesity increases the risk of fetal abnormalities. Despite advances in ultrasound imaging, the assessment of fetal anatomy is less thorough among these women. Currently, the construction of ultrasound images uses a conventional ultrasound propagation velocity (1540 m/s), which does not correspond to the slower speed of propagation in fat tissue.The main objective of this randomised study is to compare the completeness of fetal ultrasonography according to whether the operator could choose the ultrasound velocity (1420, 1480 or 1540 m/s) or was required to apply the 1540 m/s velocity. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: This randomised trial is an impact study to compare a diagnostic innovation with the reference technique. The trial inclusion criteria require that a pregnant woman with obesity be undergoing a fetal morphology examination by ultrasound from 20 ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: This research protocol does not change the standard management. The only possible impact is an improvement of the ultrasound examination by improving the quality of the image and the completeness of morphological examination. The TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: ClinicalTrials.gov (http://www.clinicaltrials.gov) Registry (NCT04212234).