COMPARISON OF OPTIC NERVE SHEATH DIAMETER AND UMBILICAL ARTERY INDICES MEASURED ON ULTRASOUND AMONG HYPERTENSIVE AND CONTROLS IN THIRD TRIMESTER PREGNANCIES

Abstract

Introduction: Hypertensive pregnancies related to high rates of maternal as well as fetal complications. It increases the prevalence of metabolic, cardiac and cerebrovascular complications in earlier age women. This study assess effect of maternal hypert ension upon fetal growth and maternal cerebrovascular health by sonography

Methodology: All one hundred twenty patients in this cross-sectional study categorized as controls and hypertensive pregnant women groups. Hypertensive group further divided into three categories as raised, stage I and stage II hypertension. Fetus gestational age, doppler indices of umbilical artery and maternal optic nerve sheath diameter measured in all participants.

Results: Mean patient age was 28±4.7 with maximum numbers of participants were of 33 years old and minimum numbers were from 22-24 age group. Sixty patients with normal blood pressure shows normal umbilical artery diastolic flow while one pregnancy shows decrease diastolic flow, 24 have absent diastolic flow and 13 have revered diastolic flow. Umbilical artery RI value was also above 0.7 in eight pregnancies with raised blood pressure, twenty-one pregnancies at stage I hypertension and in all stage II hypertensive pregnancies. ONSD value above normal range >0.5cm mainly observed in pregnancies with hypertension. Out of 45 patients with increase ONSD, 3 were from normal blood pressure, 12 from elevated BP, 21 from stage I and 9 from stage II hypertension category. Significant difference visualized among hypertensive and non-hypertensive ONSD for both right and left eyes with p-values < 0.001. There is also positive correlation between umbilical artery resistivity index and maternal optic nerve sheath diameter measured in left and right eyes.

Conclusion: Umbilical artery resistivity index and maternal optic nerve sheath diameter was higher in hypertensive pregnancies in comparison to normotensive pregnancies during third trimester.