Prognostic Accuracy of Antenatal Doppler Ultrasound Measures in Predicting Adverse Perinatal Outcomes for Pregnancies Complicated by Diabetes: A Systematic Review

Abstract

Objective: This study aimed to assess the prognostic accuracies of Doppler ultrasound measures in predicting adverse perinatal outcomes for pregnancies complicated with preexisting or gestational diabetes mellitus.

Data sources: An online database search of MEDLINE, Cochrane, Embase, CINAHL, Scopus, and Emcare from inception to April 2022 was conducted.

Study eligibility criteria: Studies reporting singleton, nonanomalous fetuses of women with either preexisting (type 1 or 2 diabetes mellitus) or gestational diabetes mellitus during pregnancy were included. In addition, the included studies assessed cerebroplacental ratio and middle cerebral artery and/or umbilical artery pulsatility index in the prediction of either: preterm birth, cesarean delivery for fetal distress, APGAR (Appearance, Pulse, Grimace, Activity, and Respiration) score <7 at 5 minutes, neonatal intensive care unit admission (>24 hours), acute respiratory distress syndrome, jaundice, hypoglycemia, hypocalcemia, or neonatal death.

Methods: The PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) guidelines were followed and 610 articles were identified, of which 15 were included. Two authors independently extracted prognostic data from each article and assessed the study applicability and risk of bias using the QUADAS-2 (Quality Assessment of Diagnostic Accuracy Studies-2) scoring criteria.

Results: A total of 15 studies were included in the review and comprised prospective (n=10; 66%) and retrospective (n=5; 33%) cohorts. Sensitivity and positive predictive values varied widely across each Doppler measurement. Umbilical artery sensitivities were higher than those of cerebroplacental ratio and middle cerebral artery for hypoglycemia, jaundice, neonatal intensive care unit admission, respiratory distress, and preterm birth. Cerebroplacental ratio was the most reported index test; however, prognostic accuracy was worse than that of umbilical artery and middle cerebral artery Doppler across all adverse perinatal outcomes. Significant risk of bias was present in 14 (94%) studies, with substantial heterogeneity observed across studies in terms of study design and outcomes assessed.

Conclusion: Abnormal umbilical artery pulsatility index may be of more clinical value in predicting adverse perinatal outcomes compared with cerebroplacental ratio and middle cerebral artery pulsatility index in diabetic pregnancies. Further evaluation of umbilical artery Doppler measurements in diabetic pregnancies using standardized variables across studies is required for broader clinical application. The significant association between abnormal Doppler measurement and hypoglycemia may warrant further investigation.

Keywords: cerebral artery; cerebroplacental ratio; composite adverse outcome; fetal distress; gestational diabetes mellitus; hypoglycemia; neonatal; pulsatility index; type 1 diabetes mellitus; type 2 diabetes mellitus; umbilical artery.