Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39821448›Full record

ArticleArchives of gynecology and obstetrics2025

Reproducibility of fetal ultrasound doppler parameters used for growth assessment.

Raghda Zidan Sweid, Vera Donadono, Davide Casagrandi, Laura Sarno, George Attilakos, Pran Pandya, Raffaele Napolitano

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Archives of gynecology and obstetrics, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Antenatal ultrasound diagnosis of fetal micrognathia: validation and reproducibility of quantitative methods.Ultrasound in obstetrics & gynecology : the official journal of the International Society of Ultrasound in Obstetrics and Gynecology · 2026
    Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors.

Raghda Zidan SweidFetal Medicine Unit, Elizabeth Garrett Anderson Wing, University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, 250 Euston Road, London, NW1 2BU, UK.
Vera DonadonoFetal Medicine Unit, Elizabeth Garrett Anderson Wing, University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, 250 Euston Road, London, NW1 2BU, UK.
Davide CasagrandiFetal Medicine Unit, Elizabeth Garrett Anderson Wing, University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, 250 Euston Road, London, NW1 2BU, UK.
Laura SarnoDepartment of Neurosciences, Reproductive Science and Dentistry, University of Naples "Federico II", Naples, Italy.
George AttilakosFetal Medicine Unit, Elizabeth Garrett Anderson Wing, University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, 250 Euston Road, London, NW1 2BU, UK.
Pran PandyaFetal Medicine Unit, Elizabeth Garrett Anderson Wing, University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, 250 Euston Road, London, NW1 2BU, UK.
Raffaele NapolitanoFetal Medicine Unit, Elizabeth Garrett Anderson Wing, University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, 250 Euston Road, London, NW1 2BU, UK. r.napolitano@ucl.ac.uk.ORCID 0000-0001-9434-7678

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectivesTo produce standards of references for quality control and assess the reproducibility of fetal ultrasound Doppler measurements commonly used for blood flow assessment in fetal growth.

methodsWomen with singleton normal pregnancies were prospectively recruited at University College London Hospital, UK, between 24 and 41 weeks. Umbilical artery (UA), middle cerebral artery (MCA), and their pulsatility indices (PI), resistance indices (RI) and ratios such as cerebro-placental (CPR) and umbilical cerebral ratio (UCR) were obtained twice by two sonographers in training or after completion of training, blind to each other's measurements. Bland-Altman plots were generated, the mean differences and 95% limits of agreement (LOA) were calculated to assess intra- and interobserver reproducibility. Values were expressed as absolute values or as z-score.

resultsOne hundred ten women were recruited. Overall reproducibility was variable for absolute values and highly variable for z-scores, independently from vessel sampled, index or ratio used, intra- or interobserver reproducibility. The widest absolute values of 95% LOA were 0.3 for UA PI, 0.7 for MCA PI, 0.9 for CPR and 0.3 for UCR, respectively. Regarding z-score, the widest 95% LOA were 1.9 for UA PI, 2.1 for CPR and 1 for UCR. Reproducibility was slightly better for intra- compared with interobserver variability. There was significant difference in z-score reproducibility between MCA peak systolic velocity and CPR vs UCR.

conclusionsReference standards of reproducibility of fetal Doppler parameters are produced for standardization and quality-control purposes. Overall, the reproducibility for fetal Doppler parameters was variable independently from vessel sampled, Doppler index (PI or RI) or ratio used, intra- and interobserver comparison. UCR was the most reproducible parameter which should be recommended, together with UA PI, for clinical use and in research studies on fetal growth.

Indexed as

Fetal DevelopmentMiddle Cerebral ArteryUltrasonography, DopplerUltrasonography, PrenatalUmbilical ArteriesAdultFemaleHumansObserver VariationPregnancyProspective StudiesPulsatile FlowReproducibility of ResultsCerebro-placental ratio and umbilical cerebral ratioMiddle cerebral arteryPulsatility indicesUmbilical artery

Identifiers

PMID39821448
PMCPMC11919989

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.