Introduction
The possibility of vertical transmission of SARS-CoV-2 from the mother to the fetus is one of the most crucial issues regarding the COVID-19 effects on pregnancy. In this study, we aimed to explore the risk of maternal-fetal transmission before 24 weeks of gestation, through analysis of abortion materials collected from PCR-positive women with pregnancy loss. To the best of our knowledge, apart from case reports, this study is the first prospective work on the vertical transmission of SARS-CoV-2 in early pregnancy.
Methods
The patients who had attended our clinic with the diagnosis of pregnancy loss before 24 weeks of gestation were screened for COVİD-19. Vertical transmission in PCR-positive women was assessed through the presence of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in fetal-placental tissues by rt-PCR test.
Results
24 of 210 (%11,4) pregnant women participating in the study had positive rt-PCR results. Placenta and curettage material samples of these PCR-positive patients were analyzed and all valid test results (21 samples) were negative for SARS CoV-2 RNA. In three cases, the rt-PCR results were invalid due to failed internal controls.
Objectives
The modified myocardial performance index (Mod‐MPI) can be used to assess myocardial function. Fetal growth restriction can affect fetal myocardial function, thereby altering the Mod‐MPI. The results of previous studies on the utility of the Mod‐MPI in growth‐restricted fetuses are conflicting. The aim of this study was to calculate the left modified‐MPI in growth‐restricted fetuses and to compare the results with those of healthy fetuses.
Methods
This was a prospective cross‐sectional case–control study. In total, 40 women with growth‐restricted fetuses and 40 women with fetuses of normal weight (controls) at 29–39 gestational weeks were enrolled in the study. An experienced obstetrician calculated the Mod‐MPI for each fetus. Women with systemic diseases or fetuses with chromosomal/structural abnormalities were excluded from the study. The results of Mod‐MPI measurements of the two groups were compared.
Results
The mean single deepest vertical pocket (SDVP) of amniotic fluid, estimated fetal weight (EFW), and isovolumetric relaxation time (IRT) was significantly lower in the fetal growth restriction (FGR) group as compared with these parameters in the control group (P < .05). The uterine artery (UtA) pulsatility index (PI) was significantly higher in the FGR group as compared with that in the control group (P < .05). There were six cases of absent end‐diastolic flow (AED) in the FGR group. There were no statistically significant between‐group differences in the Mod‐MPI, isovolumetric contraction time (ICT), and ejection time (ET) (P > .05). There was also no statistically significant correlation between the Mod‐MPI in the fetuses with AED and the control group for Mod‐MPI (P > .05).
Conclusion
The utility of the Mod‐MPI in FGR remains unclear. Future studies with larger populations are needed to determine the utility of the Mod‐MPI as a predictor of cardiac compromise in FGR.
There were no significant differences in the accuracy of EFW between oligohydramnios and polyhydramnios. However, there was a tendency for overestimation in both types of cases.
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