Abstract

Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the foetal renal blood flow with colour Doppler ultrasonography. Patients with polyhydramnios were investigated for the foetal renal artery pulsatility index (PI) at the beginning of the treatment, and after the conservative treatment in those who reached the normal amniotic fluid index.

Materials and Methods: In this prospective study, 39 foetuses with polyhydramnios were evaluated at gestational weeks 26 to 36. The foetal development parameters, right and left foetal renal artery PIs, and amniotic fluid index were measured at the beginning of the treatment in all of these patients. Of these patients, 19 who responded to the conservative treatment were also revaluated when their amniotic fluid index reached normal levels, and statistical analyses were performed for the renal artery PIs before and after the treatment.

Results: In this study, 19 patients fulfilled the inclusion criteria as patients with polyhydramnios who responded to conservative treatment. For these patients, the mean foetal renal artery PI was 2.08 (range 1.5-3.0) at the first sonographic examination, and the mean foetal renal artery PI was 1.94 (range 1.53-2.69) after the conservative treatment. However, there was no statistically significant difference between these two groups (p=0.117).

Conclusion: In this study, noa statistically significant difference was found in the foetal renal artery PIs of the patients with polyhydramnios before and after the conservative treatment. These results suggest that the renal artery blood flow may not have any effect on the renal artery PI; therefore, these findings indicate that the renal artery PI cannot be used as a marker in the evaluation of polyhydramnios.