DETERMINANTS OF PERINATAL OUTCOME IN PREGNANCY-INDUCED HYPERTENSION WITH ABSENCE OF UMBILICAL ARTERY END-DIASTOLIC FREQUENCIES

Forty-three pregnancies that were complicated by pregnancy-induced hypertension and either absence of umbilical artery end-diastolic frequencies (n = 32) or reversal of umbilical artery end-diastolic frequencies (n = 11) were reviewed. The incidence of perinatal mortality and morbidity was similar for the two Doppler patterns. Perinatal survival was highly dependent on the gestational age when hypertension first appeared. Presentation at greater-than-or-equal-to 30 weeks' gestation was associated with a perinatal survival rate of 86%. Presentation at <30 weeks' gestation was associated with a perinatal survival rate of 38% (p < 0.005). Pregnancy-induced hypertension that presented before 30 weeks was more often associated with a 5-minute Apgar score <7 (p < 0.005) and a nonreactive nonstress test (p < 0.05) compared with pregnancy-induced hypertension that presented at or beyond 30 weeks. For pregnancies that presented before 30 weeks, the only difference between perinatal survivors (n = 11) and perinatal deaths (n = 18) was a higher incidence of birth weight at or below the 10th percentile among deaths (p = 0.02).