Introduction: Our objective was to compare the fetal growth velocity and fetal hemodynamics in pregnancies complicated and in those not complicated by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection. Material and methods: Prospective case-control study of consecutive pregnancies complicated by SARS-CoV-2 infection during the second half of pregnancy matched with unaffected women. The z scores of head circumference, abdominal circumference, femur length, and estimated fetal weight were compared between the two groups. Fetal growth was assessed by analyzing the growth velocity of head circumference, abdominal circumference, femur length, and estimated fetal weight between the second-and third-trimester scans. Similarly, changes in the pulsatility index of uterine, umbilical, and middle cerebral arteries, and their ratios were compared between the two study groups. Results: Forty-nine consecutive pregnancies complicated, and 98 not complicated, by SARS-CoV-2 infection were included. General baseline and pregnancy characteristics were similar between pregnant women with and those without SARS-CoV-2 infection. There was no difference in head circumference, abdominal circumference, femur length, and estimated fetal weight z scores between pregnancies complicated and those not complicated by SARS-CoV-2 infection at both the second-and thirdtrimester scans. Likewise, there was no difference in the growth velocity of all these body parameters between the two study groups. Finally, there was no difference in the pulsatility index of both maternal and fetal Doppler scans throughout gestation between the two groups. Conclusions: Pregnancies complicated by SARS-CoV-2 infection are not at higher risk of developing fetal growth restriction through impaired placental function. The findings from this study do not support a policy of increased fetal surveillance in these women.

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Introduction:The objective was to report the role of intrapartum ultrasound examination in affecting maternal and perinatal outcome in women undergoing instrumental vaginal delivery.Material and methods: MEDLINE, Embase, CINAHL, Google Scholar and ClinicalTrial. gov databases were searched. Inclusion criteria were randomized controlled trials comparing ultrasound assessment of fetal head position vs routine standard care (digital examination) before instrumental vaginal delivery (either vacuum or forceps).

Objective To evaluate brain biometry and cortical development by neurosonography in fetuses with congenital heart defect (CHD) and evaluate differences among different type of CHD. Methods In a prospective cross sectional study singleton fetus with CHD were matched with controls and grouped into two categories according to the predicted severity of cerebral arterial oxygen deficit induced by the CHD: Group A mildly reduced or normal and Group B moderately to severely reduced. Neurosonography was done at 30–33 weeks to obtain measurements of corpus callosum (CC), cerebellar vermis (CV), Sylvian fissure (SF) insula, parieto‐occipital fissure (POF), and calcarine sulci fissures (CSF). All the neurosonographic parameters were adjusted by head circumference (HC). Results A total of 78 fetuses with CHD (group A 30; group B 48) and 80 matched controls form uncomplicated pregnancies were considered. CHD fetuses have significantly smaller CC, CV, SF, and POF and bigger insula when compared to control fetuses. These differences are more marked in group B fetuses. These differences remained significant after correction for HC values. Conclusion Fetuses with CHD have an impaired cortical development and these variations are more evident in those with a predicted lower oxygen delivery to the brain.

Objectives To assess cerebral growth and the development of fetal cortex using neurosonography in fetuses from pregnancies experiencing severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‐CoV‐2) according to infection timing. Methods Pregnancies with by SARS‐CoV‐2 during first and second trimesters were prospectively studied and matched with unaffected controls. Enclosed women underwent neurosonography at 30–34 weeks of gestation and corpus callosum (CC) and cerebellar vermis (CV) lengths measured. Further Sylvian fissure (SF), insula. Parieto‐occipital fissure (POF), and calcarine sulci fissures (CSF) depths were obtained. The ultrasonographic variables considered were normalized with fetal head size. Results One hundred and seventy four consecutive pregnancies experiencing SARS COV 2 infection (81 before 14 weeks and 93 later) and 131 not affected pregnancies were considered. General and pregnancy characteristics were similar between the three groups of women. No significant differences existed in CC and CV lengths across groups. Similarly, insula, SF, POF And CSF depth did not result changed in fetuses of affected mothers. Conclusions SARS‐CoV‐2 infection does nor resulted associate with differential fetal cortical development or brain growth in mildly symptomatic pregnant women. This information may be useful to reassure infected mothers on the health of their fetuses.

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Objectives The aim of this study was to evaluate the agreement between visual and automatic methods in assessing the adequacy of fetal cardiac views obtained during second trimester ultrasonographic examination. Methods In a prospective observational study frames of the four-chamber view left and right outflow tracts, and three-vessel trachea view were obtained from 120 consecutive singleton low-risk women undergoing second trimester ultrasound at 19–23 weeks of gestation. For each frame, the quality assessment was performed by an expert sonographer and by an artificial intelligence software (Heartassist™). The Cohen’s κ coefficient was used to evaluate the agreement rates between both techniques. Results The number and percentage of images considered adequate visually by the expert or with Heartassist™ were similar with a percentage >87 % for all the cardiac views considered. The Cohen’s κ coefficient values were for the four-chamber view 0.827 (95 % CI 0.662–0.992), 0.814 (95 % CI 0.638–0.990) for left ventricle outflow tract, 0.838 (95 % CI 0.683–0.992) and three vessel trachea view 0.866 (95 % CI 0.717–0.999), indicating a good agreement between the two techniques. Conclusions Heartassist™ allows to obtain the automatic evaluation of fetal cardiac views, reached the same accuracy of expert visual assessment and has the potential to be applied in the evaluation of fetal heart during second trimester ultrasonographic screening of fetal anomalies.