Doppler findings in the fetal and uteroplacental circulation: a promising guide to clinical decisions.

The combination of real time and Doppler ultrasonic methods has opened up new possibilities for the study of fetal and uterine haemodynamics in humans particularly for the umbilical, uterine and fetal cerebral arteries. A pathological finding in blood velocity waveforms seems to be an early and consistent alteration which precedes other markers of chronic fetal distress. The challenges are to differentiate between fetal and uteroplacental aetiologies of chronic fetal asphyxia and to search for effective treatment of early fetal distress. Recent data on the practical value of haemodynamic studies in different perinatal complications is presented in this review.