Objective: To test the hypothesis that clinically relevant vessels can be visualized and interrogated with Doppler recording during the second half of pregnancy at an output energy below the currently advocated limits without loss of information.
Design: Observational cross-sectional study.
Setting: Tertiary fetal medicine center.
Sample: Based on a power calculation for equivalence studies, we recruited 65 pregnant women.
Methods: Ultrasound examination was performed at 18, 24 or 36 weeks of gestation. The umbilical artery, middle cerebral artery, ductus venosus, and both uterine arteries were identified using color Doppler, and the blood velocities were measured using pulsed wave Doppler at a thermal index for bone (TIB) of 1.0. This procedure was repeated at TIB values of 0.5 and 0.1. The depth of Doppler recording was noted.
Main outcome measures: Visualization of the vessels by color Doppler at all power levels and any systematic changes or increased variance of the recorded parameters with decreasing power level.
Results: All vessels could be visualized by color Doppler and their flow velocities measured using pulsed wave Doppler in all participants and at all power levels. There were no systematic changes or increased parameter variance when reducing the power level, despite the insonation depth being significantly greater than in early pregnancy.
Conclusions: Reducing the ultrasound power from TIB 1.0 to 0.1 does not alter color Doppler visualization or pulsed wave Doppler measurements in the second half of pregnancy. The lower power level can be recommended as a starting point for clinical examinations throughout pregnancy.
© 2013 The Authors Acta Obstetricia et Gynecologica Scandinavica © 2013 Nordic Federation of Societies of Obstetrics and Gynecology.