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Archives of Gynecology and Obstetrics Aug 2023Abnormal flow in the ductus venosus (DV) has been reported to be associated with adverse perinatal outcome, chromosomal abnormalities, and congenital heart defects... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis
The diagnostic performance of the ductus venosus for the detection of cardiac defects in the first trimester: a systematic review and diagnostic test accuracy meta-analysis.
PURPOSE
Abnormal flow in the ductus venosus (DV) has been reported to be associated with adverse perinatal outcome, chromosomal abnormalities, and congenital heart defects (CHD). Aneuploid fetuses have increased risk of CHD, but there are discrepancies on the performance of this markers in euploid fetuses. The aim of this meta-analysis was to establish the predictive accuracy of DV for CHD.
METHODS
MEDLINE, EMBASE, and CINAHL were searched from inception to February 2022. No language or geographical restrictions were applied. Inclusion criteria regarded observational and randomized studies concerning first-trimester DV flow as CHD marker. Random effect meta-analyses to calculate risk ratio (RR) with 95% confidence interval (CI), hierarchical summary receiver-operating characteristics (HSROC), and bivariate models to evaluate diagnostic accuracy were used. Primary outcome was the diagnostic performance of DV in detecting prenatal CHD by means of area under the curve (AUROC). Subgroup analysis for euploid, high-risk, and normal NT fetuses was performed. Quality assessment of included papers was performed using QUADAS-2.
RESULTS
Twenty two studies, with a total of 204.829 fetuses undergoing first trimester scan with DV Doppler evaluation, fulfilled the inclusion criteria for this systematic review. Overall, abnormal DV flow at the time of first trimester screening was associated to an increased risk of CHD (RR 6.9, 95% CI 3.7-12.6; I = 95.2%) as well in unselected (RR: 6.4, 95% CI 2.5-16.4; I = 93.3%) and in euploid (RR: 6.45, 95% CI 3.3-12.6; I = 95.8%) fetuses. The overall diagnostic accuracy of abnormal DV in detecting CHD was good in euploid fetuses with an AUROC of 0.81 (95% CI 0.78-0.84), but it was poor in the high-risk group with an AUROC of 0.66 (95% CI 0.62-0.70) and in the unselected population with an AUROC of 0.44 (95% CI 0.40-0.49).
CONCLUSIONS
Abnormal DV in the first trimester increases the risk of CHD with a moderate sensitivity for euploid fetuses. In combination with other markers (NT, TV regurgitation) could be helpful to identify fetuses otherwise considered to be at low risk for CHD. In addition to the improvement of the fetal heart examination in the first trimester, this strategy can increase the detection of major CHD at earlier stage of pregnancy.
Topics: Female; Humans; Pregnancy; Chromosome Aberrations; Diagnostic Tests, Routine; Heart Defects, Congenital; Pregnancy Trimester, First; Ultrasonography, Prenatal
PubMed: 36315269
DOI: 10.1007/s00404-022-06812-w -
Medicine Jul 2023This meta-analysis aimed to investigate the diagnostic value of color ultrasound screening for fetal cardiovascular abnormalities during the second trimester in China. (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis
BACKGROUND
This meta-analysis aimed to investigate the diagnostic value of color ultrasound screening for fetal cardiovascular abnormalities during the second trimester in China.
METHODS
A literature search was conducted to evaluate the clinical value of color ultrasound screening for fetal cardiovascular abnormalities during the second trimester using English and Chinese databases. Numerical values for sensitivity and specificity were obtained from false-negative, false-positive, true-negative, and true-positive rates, presented alongside graphical representations with boxes marking the values and horizontal lines showing the confidence intervals. Summary receiver operating characteristic (SROC) curves were applied to assess the performance of the diagnostic tests. Data were processed using Review Manager 5.3.
RESULTS
Four studies (151 patients with fetal cardiovascular abnormalities and 3397 undiagnosed controls) met our evaluation criteria. The sensitivity was 0.91 and 0.96, respectively, and the specificity was 1.00. The Area Under the Curve (AUC) from the SROC curves was >90%; therefore, it was classified as excellent. Furthermore, there were 6 types of fetal cardiovascular abnormalities, and the pooled screening rate of atrioventricular septal defects was the highest.
CONCLUSION
Our meta-analysis showed that the use of color ultrasound during the second trimester can be an excellent diagnostic tool for fetal cardiovascular abnormalities.
Topics: Female; Humans; Pregnancy; Cardiovascular Abnormalities; Pregnancy Trimester, Second; Sensitivity and Specificity; Ultrasonography, Doppler, Color; Ultrasonography, Prenatal
PubMed: 37443473
DOI: 10.1097/MD.0000000000034211 -
PloS One 2024Echogenic Intracardiac Foci (EIF) are non-structural markers identified during the routine 18-20-week foetal anomaly ultrasound scan yet their clinical significance on...
BACKGROUND
Echogenic Intracardiac Foci (EIF) are non-structural markers identified during the routine 18-20-week foetal anomaly ultrasound scan yet their clinical significance on future outcomes for the infant is unclear.
OBJECTIVE
To examine the association between EIF and risk of preterm birth, chromosomal abnormalities, and cardiac abnormalities.
DESIGN
A review across four databases to identify English language journal articles of EIF using a cohort study design. All studies were reviewed for quality using the Critical Appraisal Skills Programme (CASP) checklist and data extracted for comparison and analysis.
RESULTS
19 papers from 9 different countries were included. Combining these studies showed 4.6% (95% CI = 4.55-4.65%) of all pregnancies had EIF which was on the left in 86% of cases, on the right in 3% of cases and bilaterally in 10%. There was no evidence that EIF was associated with higher rates of preterm birth. However, it is possible that infants with EIF were more likely to be terminated rather than be born preterm as there was a 2.1% (range 0.3-4.2%) rate of termination or death of the foetus after week 20 among those with EIF. There was no evidence that EIF alone is highly predictive of chromosomal abnormalities. There was evidence that EIF is associated with higher rates of minor cardiac abnormalities (e.g. ventricular septal defect, tricuspid regurgitation or mitral regurgitation)) with 5.1% (224 of 4385) of those with EIF showing cardiac abnormalities (3.08% in retrospective studies and 17.85% in prospective studies). However, the risk of cardiac defects was only higher with right-sided EIF and where the EIF persisted into the third trimester. However, this is a rare event and would be seen in an estimated 4 per 10,000 pregnancies.
CONCLUSION
EIF alone was not associated with adverse outcomes for the infant. Only persistent EIF on the right side showed evidence of carrying a higher risk of cardiac abnormality and would warrant further follow-up.
Topics: Female; Humans; Pregnancy; Chromosome Aberrations; Heart Defects, Congenital; Pregnancy Outcome; Pregnancy Trimester, Second; Premature Birth; Ultrasonography, Prenatal
PubMed: 38648215
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0298365 -
Revista Portuguesa de Cardiologia :... Mar 2024Echocardiography guidelines suggest normalizing left ventricular (LV) volumes and mass (LVM) to body size. During pregnancy, continuous weight variation impacts on body...
INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES
Echocardiography guidelines suggest normalizing left ventricular (LV) volumes and mass (LVM) to body size. During pregnancy, continuous weight variation impacts on body surface area (BSA) calculation, limiting the longitudinal analysis of cardiac remodeling (CR) and reverse remodeling (RR) variables. Our aim was to identify the most common indexing methodologies in the literature on pregnant populations through a systematic review; and, to compare four scaling methods: (i) none (absolute values); (ii) indexing to the BSA before pregnancy; (iii) allomeric indexing; and (iv) indexing to BSA measured at the same day of cardiac assessment, using an illustrative example.
METHODS
We performed a systematic review of CR and RR during pregnancy and post-partum, using two databases. We included studies reporting longitudinal echocardiographic analysis of cardiac chamber volumes in humans. We used a prospective cohort study of healthy pregnant women who underwent four echocardiographic evaluations during pregnancy and postpartum, as an illustrative example.
RESULTS
Twenty-seven studies were included, most studies indexed to BSA measured at each evaluation moment (n=21). Within-subjects design was the most reported to analyse longitudinal data (n=17). Indexation to the pre-pregnancy BSA or application of allometric indexes revealed a higher effect than BSA measured at each evaluation and an equal effect to not indexing using within-subjects design. The within-subjects designs also revealed a higher effect size value than the between-subjects design for longitudinal analysis of LVM adaptations during pregnancy and postpartum.
CONCLUSION(S)
This study concludes that indexation methods do not impact the clinical interpretation of longitudinal echocardiographic assessment but highlights the need to harmonize normalization procedures during pregnancy.
Topics: Pregnancy; Female; Humans; Prospective Studies; Heart; Echocardiography; Heart Ventricles; Postpartum Period
PubMed: 37495102
DOI: 10.1016/j.repc.2023.04.014 -
Journal of Cancer Research and Clinical... Feb 2024A meta-analysis was performed to assess the benefits and safety profile of approved immune checkpoint inhibitors in hepatocellular carcinoma patients. Eligible studies... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis
A meta-analysis was performed to assess the benefits and safety profile of approved immune checkpoint inhibitors in hepatocellular carcinoma patients. Eligible studies were searched from Cochrane, Embase, and PubMed databases based on a well-established strategy. Following the exclusion of ineligible studies, 12 studies were included in this meta-analysis. Compared with control group, immune checkpoint inhibitors were associated with improved ORR (OR 3.03, 95% CI 2.26-4.05, P < 0.00001), SD (OR 0.77, 95% CI 0.62-0.95, P = 0.02), OS (HR 0.75, 95% CI 0.68-0.83, P < 0.00001), and PFS (HR 0.74, 95% CI 0.63-0.87, P < 0.0003). However, no significant differences were observed in DCR (OR 1.33, 95% CI 0.97-1.81, P = 0.07), PD (OR 0.90, 95% CI 0.67-1.21, P = 0.48), and all caused any-grade adverse events (OR 1.22, 95% CI 0.62-2.39, P = 0. 57), all caused ≥ grade 3 adverse events (OR 1.10, 95% CI 0.97-1.25, P = 0.14), treatment-related any-grade adverse events (OR 1.13, 95% CI 0.55-2.32, P = 0.73), and treatment-related ≥ grade 3 events (OR 0.82, 95% CI 0.34-1.97, P = 0.65) between the two groups. After subgroup analysis conducted, patients in the immune checkpoint inhibitor group compared with targeted drug group showed significant improvements in OS (HR 0.74, 95% CI 0.66-0.84, P < 0.00001) and PFS (HR 0.75, 95% CI 0.61-0.91, P = 0.004). Immune checkpoint inhibitors have demonstrated peculiar benefits in the treatment of HCC with an acceptable safety profile. Compared to targeted drugs, immune checkpoint inhibitors still offer advantages in the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma. However, there is still considerable room for further improvement.
Topics: Humans; Carcinoma, Hepatocellular; Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors; Liver Neoplasms; Databases, Factual; Drug Delivery Systems
PubMed: 38319412
DOI: 10.1007/s00432-023-05539-8 -
Women and Birth : Journal of the... Feb 2024Models of care for women with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) have evolved in an ad hoc way and do not meet women's needs.
PROBLEM
Models of care for women with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) have evolved in an ad hoc way and do not meet women's needs.
BACKGROUND
GDM affects 50,000 Australian women per annum with prevalence quadrupling in the last ten years. Many health services are struggling to provide a quality service. People with diabetes are calling for care that focuses on their wellbeing more broadly.
AIM
To examine the holistic (emotional, social, economic, and spiritual) care needs of women with GDM.
METHODS
Qualitative and mixed-methods studies capturing the healthcare experiences of women with GDM were searched for in CINAHL, Medline, Web of Science and Scopus. English-language studies published between 2011 and 2023 were included. Quality of studies was assessed using Crowe Critical Appraisal Tool and NVIVO was used to identify key themes and synthesise data.
FINDINGS
Twenty-eight studies were included, representing the experiences of 958 women. Five themes reflect women's holistic needs through their journey from initial diagnosis to postpartum: psychological impact, information and education, making change for better health, support, and care transition.
DISCUSSION
The biomedical, fetal-centric model of care neglects the woman's holistic wellbeing resulting in high levels of unmet need. Discontinuity between tertiary and primary services results in a missed opportunity to assist women to make longer term changes that would benefit themselves (and their families) into the future.
CONCLUSIONS
The provision of holistic models of care for this cohort is pivotal to improving clinical outcomes and the experiences of women with GDM.
Topics: Female; Humans; Pregnancy; Australia; Diabetes, Gestational; Maternal Health Services; Prenatal Care; Qualitative Research
PubMed: 37684120
DOI: 10.1016/j.wombi.2023.08.005 -
Journal of Korean Medical Science Mar 2024Ultrasonographic soft markers are normal variants, rather than fetal abnormalities, and guidelines recommend a detailed survey of fetal anatomy to determine the... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis
BACKGROUND
Ultrasonographic soft markers are normal variants, rather than fetal abnormalities, and guidelines recommend a detailed survey of fetal anatomy to determine the necessity of antenatal karyotyping. Anecdotal reports have described cases with ultrasonographic soft markers in which chromosomal microarray analysis (CMA) revealed pathogenic copy number variants (CNVs) despite normal results on conventional karyotyping, but CMA for ultrasonographic soft markers remains a matter of debate. In this systematic review, we evaluated the clinical significance of CMA for pregnancies with isolated ultrasonographic soft markers and a normal fetal karyotype.
METHODS
An electronic search was conducted by an experienced librarian through the MEDLINE, Embase, and Cochrane CENTRAL databases. We reviewed 3,338 articles (3,325 identified by database searching and 13 by a hand search) about isolated ultrasonographic soft markers, and seven ultrasonographic markers (choroid plexus cysts, echogenic bowel, echogenic intracardiac focus, hypoplastic nasal bone, short femur [SF], single umbilical artery, and urinary tract dilatation) were included for this study.
RESULTS
Seven eligible articles were included in the final review. Pathogenic or likely pathogenic CNVs were found in fetuses with isolated ultrasonographic soft markers and a normal karyotype. The overall prevalence of pathogenic or likely pathogenic CNVs was 2.0% (41 of 2,048). The diagnostic yield of CMA was highest in fetuses with isolated SF (9 of 225, 3.9%).
CONCLUSION
CMA could aid in risk assessment and pregnancy counseling in pregnancies where the fetus has isolated ultrasonographic soft markers along with a normal karyotype.
Topics: Female; Humans; Pregnancy; Fetus; Karyotyping; Microarray Analysis; Ultrasonography, Prenatal
PubMed: 38442716
DOI: 10.3346/jkms.2024.39.e70