Abstract
Objectives
Maternal urogenital infections during pregnancy are worldwide frequent problem. The aim was to analyze influence of maternal genitourinary infection on fetal cardiac function, pregnancy development and obstetrical outcomes.
Methods
This was a single-center cohort study on fetuses (average at 28th week) in two groups: with maternal urogenital infections (study group n=49) and control group with no infections (n=59). Parvovirus B19, toxoplasmosis, cytomegalovirus, herpes simplex infections, congenital malformations, fetal growth restriction, chronic maternal diseases, as well as patients with body mass index (BMI) >25 kg/m2 were excluded. We analyzed: maternal age, time of delivery, neonatal birth weight, Apgar scores, average time of hospitalization of newborns after birth and several fetal echocardiographic parameters.
Results
The only statistical differences was found for shorter isovolumetric relaxation time (IRT) (40 ± 10 vs. 45 ± 9; p=0.03) and longer ejection time (ET) [ms] for right ventricle (RV) (176 ± 24 vs. 164 ± 18; p=0.01). Thick placenta was observed more frequent in study group than in controls (36.7 vs. 16.9%; p= 0.02).
Conclusions
The missing link for explanation of these findings was coincidence with thick placenta. This is probably the first observation suggesting that thick placenta (>5 cm) may affect fetal RV function in normal heart anatomy: prolongation of right ventricular ET and shortening of fetal right ventricular IVRT.
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Research funding: None declared.
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Author contributions: All authors have accepted responsibility for the entire content of this manuscript and approved its submission.
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Competing interests: Authors state no conflict of interest.
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Informed consent: Informed consent was obtained from all individuals included in this study.
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Ethical approval: The local Institutional Review Board deemed the study exempt from review.
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© 2022 Walter de Gruyter GmbH, Berlin/Boston
Articles in the same Issue
- Frontmatter
- Editorial
- A Celebration of Professor Joachim Dudenhausen
- Reviews
- Gestational complications associated with SARS-CoV-2 infection in pregnant women during 2020–2021: systematic review of longitudinal studies
- Eclampsia a preventable tragedy: an African overview
- Original Articles – Obstetrics
- How do bicornuate uteri alter pregnancy, intra-partum and neonatal risks? A population based study of more than three million deliveries and more than 6000 bicornuate uteri
- Maternal urogenital infection and fetal heart functional assessment – what is the missing link?
- Knowledge and attitudes of pregnant women on maternal immunization against COVID-19 in Croatia
- Retrospective review of GCT cutoff value based on pre-pregnancy BMI class in patients with GDM
- Cervical strain elastography: pattern analysis and cervical sliding sign in preterm and control pregnancies
- Maternal race/ethnicity impacts the success rates of external cephalic version (ECV) in the United States
- Fetal adrenal gland size and umbilical artery Doppler in growth-restricted fetuses
- Counseling pregnant women on calcium: effects on calcium intake
- Relationship among anogenital distance, adrenal gland volume, and penile length and width at 22–36 weeks of pregnancy
- Intra-amniotic inflammation in the mid-trimester of pregnancy is a risk factor for neuropsychological disorders in childhood
- Genetic amniocentesis using atraumatic 29 gauge needle in patients having a chorioamniotic separation
- YouTube as a source of patient information on external cephalic version
- Midwives’ personal and professional attitudes towards women’s delivery choices, interventions and neonatal care
- Maternal serum midkine level in fetal growth restriction: a case-control study
- Original Articles – Neonates
- Interventions for reducing late-onset sepsis in neonates: an umbrella review
- Maternal knowledge of recommendations for safe infant sleep and intentions for implementation – a cross sectional analysis of data from the KUNO-Kids birth cohort study
- Short Communication
- Lysophosphatidylcholine acyltransferase 1 protein is present in maternal blood in the third trimester and is upregulated by antenatal corticosteroids
- Letters to the Editor
- Peripartum hysterectomy at a tertiary university perinatal center – retrospective analysis of the 25-year period
- Neonate, infected mother and monkeypox: the present concern
Articles in the same Issue
- Frontmatter
- Editorial
- A Celebration of Professor Joachim Dudenhausen
- Reviews
- Gestational complications associated with SARS-CoV-2 infection in pregnant women during 2020–2021: systematic review of longitudinal studies
- Eclampsia a preventable tragedy: an African overview
- Original Articles – Obstetrics
- How do bicornuate uteri alter pregnancy, intra-partum and neonatal risks? A population based study of more than three million deliveries and more than 6000 bicornuate uteri
- Maternal urogenital infection and fetal heart functional assessment – what is the missing link?
- Knowledge and attitudes of pregnant women on maternal immunization against COVID-19 in Croatia
- Retrospective review of GCT cutoff value based on pre-pregnancy BMI class in patients with GDM
- Cervical strain elastography: pattern analysis and cervical sliding sign in preterm and control pregnancies
- Maternal race/ethnicity impacts the success rates of external cephalic version (ECV) in the United States
- Fetal adrenal gland size and umbilical artery Doppler in growth-restricted fetuses
- Counseling pregnant women on calcium: effects on calcium intake
- Relationship among anogenital distance, adrenal gland volume, and penile length and width at 22–36 weeks of pregnancy
- Intra-amniotic inflammation in the mid-trimester of pregnancy is a risk factor for neuropsychological disorders in childhood
- Genetic amniocentesis using atraumatic 29 gauge needle in patients having a chorioamniotic separation
- YouTube as a source of patient information on external cephalic version
- Midwives’ personal and professional attitudes towards women’s delivery choices, interventions and neonatal care
- Maternal serum midkine level in fetal growth restriction: a case-control study
- Original Articles – Neonates
- Interventions for reducing late-onset sepsis in neonates: an umbrella review
- Maternal knowledge of recommendations for safe infant sleep and intentions for implementation – a cross sectional analysis of data from the KUNO-Kids birth cohort study
- Short Communication
- Lysophosphatidylcholine acyltransferase 1 protein is present in maternal blood in the third trimester and is upregulated by antenatal corticosteroids
- Letters to the Editor
- Peripartum hysterectomy at a tertiary university perinatal center – retrospective analysis of the 25-year period
- Neonate, infected mother and monkeypox: the present concern