abnormal uterine artery doppler in pregnancy

Systole (S) and diastole (D) are identified by the yellow and green box outlines, respectively. Notice that during diastole there is continuous blood flow which is approximately 2/3 the height of systolic flow. This means that there is continuous flow of blood to the uterus during each heart beat of the mother.

 

 

 

This image illustrates a Doppler waveform from a non-pregnant women. Notice that after the sharp spike (A), the waveform has a notch (B), followed by a flattened waveform (C).

 

The resistance index is measured to determine if it is abnormally high. In this example the low diastolic flow results in an abnormal Resistance Index.
This illustrates NOTCHING with a normal Resistance Index. The presence of a notch places the patient at high-risk for adverse pregnancy outcome.
This illustrates NOTCHING with an abnormal Resistance Index. The combination of these two findings places the patient at increased risk for adverse pregnancy outcome.