Fetal Atrioventricular Flow-Velocity Waveforms and Their Relation to Arterial and Venous Flow-Velocity Waveforms at 8 to 20 Weeks of Gestation

BACKGROUND: Doppler ultrasonography was used to determine the nature and gestational age-related changes of human fetal AV flow-velocity waveforms and to establish their relationship with arterial impedance indexes and venous flow velocities in normal human fetuses between 8 and 20 weeks of gestation. METHODS AND RESULTS: Flow-velocity waveform recordings were attempted in 318 singleton pregnancies. After the exclusion criteria were applied, data on 214 women were available for further analysis. Differentiation between E wave and A wave became possible at 9 weeks, whereas distinction between transmittal and transtricuspid valve flow velocities was first achieved at 10 to 11 weeks. A statistically significant nonlinear gestational age-dependent increase was established for all AV waveform parameters, which became linear when related to logarithmically estimated fetal crown-to-rump length. Transtricuspid valve flow velocities were significantly higher than transmittal valve flow velocities. Transmittal valve time-averaged flow velocities were positively correlated with peak diastolic velocities and time-velocity integral of late-diastolic reverse flow in the inferior vena cava. No correlation existed between AV time-averaged velocities and arterial impedance indexes. CONCLUSIONS: Monophasic AV flow-velocity waveforms can be recorded as early as 8 weeks of gestation and become biphasic as early as 8 weeks. They demonstrate a linear increase relative to logarithmically estimated fetal crown-to-rump length, suggesting that fetal growth-related increase in volume flow plays a role in this velocity rise. Transtricuspid valve A-wave and E-wave velocities suggest right ventricular predominance as early as the late first trimester of pregnancy. AV flow velocities are not related to arterial downstream impedance.