Evaluation of Fetal Pulmonary Artery Acceleration / Ejection Time Ratio as an Independent Predictor of Fetal Lung Maturity

Ankur Ranjan Saikia, Rupak Bhuyan, Suresh Killing, Aniruddha Basu, Anuja Saikia

Abstract: Objective: The purpose of the study is to measure the fetal main pulmonary artery acceleration/ejection time ratio in preterm pregnancies and its subsequent correlation with occurrence of respiratory distress syndrome in neonates. Materials and methods: 175 preterm consenting pregnant females were subjected to fetal main pulmonary artery (MPA) doppler velocimetry along with routine obstetric ultrasound. Post natal follow up of neonate was done to assess for respiratory distress syndrome (RDS). Results: In our study, 82 out of 175 eligible fetuses developed neonatal RDS. Statistically significant correlation was found between the mean Acceleration to Ejection time ratio (AT/ET) and development of RDS as the mean AT/ET was significantly lower in the RDS +ve group (mean 0.24) in comparison to the RDS -ve group (mean 0.34) (p <0.001). A cutoff value of 0.287 for AT/ET predicted the development of RDS with high sensitivity (95.7%) and specificity (96.3%). Conclusion: Fetal MPA AT/ET ratio can act as a potential independent predictor of fetal lung maturity and thus can be valuable for planning preterm deliveries and better post-natal care of the neonate.

Keywords: Fetal main pulmonary artery, Doppler ultrasound, Acceleration to Ejection time ratio, Neonatal respiratory distress syndrome, fetal lung maturity

How to Cite?: Ankur Ranjan Saikia, Rupak Bhuyan, Suresh Killing, Aniruddha Basu, Anuja Saikia, "Evaluation of Fetal Pulmonary Artery Acceleration / Ejection Time Ratio as an Independent Predictor of Fetal Lung Maturity", Volume 14 Issue 8, August 2025, International Journal of Science and Research (IJSR), Pages: 1715-1720, https://www.ijsr.net/getabstract.php?paperid=SR25829145356, DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.21275/SR25829145356