Fetal autonomic malfunction as a marker of fetal distress in growth-restricted fetuses: three case reports

• Main Authors: Igor Victorovich Lakhno, Schmidt Alexander
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Korean Society of Obstetrics and Gynecology 2019-11-01
• Series: Obstetrics & Gynecology Science
• Subjects: fetal distress; fetal growth restriction; embryonic and fetal development
• Online Access: http://ogscience.org/upload/pdf/ogs-62-469.pdf

Fetal growth restriction (FGR) is characterized by fetal compromise and delayed neurological maturation. We report 3 cases of early FGR in the 26th week of gestation, based on hemodynamic Doppler monitoring, conventional cardiotocography, and non-invasive fetal electrocardiography (NI-FECG). Fetal heart rate variability (HRV), beat-to-beat variations, and fetal autonomic brain age scores (fABASs) were normal despite the absence of umbilical diastolic flow in the first case and the pregnancy continued to 30 weeks. NI-FECG helped achieve better fetal maturity. Fetal HRV and fABASs were low in the second and third cases. Fetal demise occurred soon in both cases. We conclude that NI-FECG could be a prospective method for the detection of fetal distress in early FGR.