Association between Placental Thickness and Gestational Age in Pregnant Women with Preeclampsia in their Third Trimester: An Ultrasonographic Study

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Background: One of the most important fetal organs, the placenta, carries oxygen and nutrition to the developing baby. Because of its association with gestational age(GA)and subsequent rise with time, placental is the easiest metric to measure and can be a useful indication of fetal GA. Aim and objectives: Research the relationship between GA and ultrasound-estimated placental thickness in pregnant women with preeclampsia during the third trimester. Patients and methods: This present cohort prospective observational study was conducted on a total of 150 pregnant women with preeclampsia above 26 weeks GA from July 2023 to July 2024. Participants were sourced from the Obstetrics and Gynaecology department's admitted patients and the outpatient clinic at Al-Hussien University Hospital. The study was approved by the Institutional Ethical Committee. Results: The sensitivity of placental thickness measurement was of average more than 94%, according to ROC curve analysis, the sensitivity and specificity of placental thickness according to GA was the following for each week between 26th-35th week,97% and 92%,94%and 83%,97% and 57%,83% and 88%,96% and 86%,94% and 85%,82% and 84%,98% and 51%,99% and 18%,99% and 19%, respectively. Conclusion: Placental thickness measurement could serve as a reliable indicator for estimating GA, with high sensitivity across various weeks of pregnancy, as demonstrated by our ROC curve analysis. Our results contribute to a better understanding of the dynamic nature of placental development in pregnancies complicated by preeclampsia and underscore the potential utility of placental thickness measurement as a diagnostic tool in clinical settings.