Association of maternal main pulmonary arterial diameter and neonatal birth weight: a study based on pulmonary arterial hypertension

OBJECTIVE To study the association of maternal main pulmonary arterial diameter and neonatal weight of pregnant women with pulmonary arterial hypertension. METHODS We divide patients into 2 group, according to whether the patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension owing to congenital heart disease, or idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension. Univariate and multivariate regression analysis were used. After adjusting for various confounding, tangent points were obtained by fitting curves and threshold effect analysis. Finally, we apply a stratified analysis according to New York Heart Association (NYHA) Functional Classification. RESULTS According to the results of multivariate regression analysis, in patients with PAH owing to congenital heart disease, maternal pulmonary arterial diameter was significantly associated with neonatal birth weight, and the regression coefficient was − 37.03, and the 95% confidence interval was − 63.44 to -10.62, P value < 0.001. The result of regression analysis is that when maternal main pulmonary arterial diameter increases by 1 mm, the weight of the newborn will decrease by 37.03g. After stratified analysis, the regression coefficient was − 40.94, and the 95% confidence interval was − 69.68 to -12.20, P value < 0.001. CONCLUSION The maternal main pulmonary artery diameter was significantly correlated with the neonatal birth weight in patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension owing to congenital heart diseases, especially thoses with functional classification I or II.