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. 2024 Mar 27;52(4):433-444.
doi: 10.1515/jpm-2023-0384. Print 2024 May 27.

Impact of birth weight to placental weight ratio and other perinatal risk factors on left ventricular dimensions in newborns: a prospective cohort analysis

Ashraf Gad  1 , Dhafer Malouche  2 , Manoj Chhabra  3 , Danthanh Hoang  3 , Debbie Suk  3 , Nitin Ron  3 , Beata Dygulska  3 , Madhu B Gudavalli  3 , Ali M Nadroo  3 , Pramod Narula  3 , Ibrahim Elmakaty  4
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Free article

Impact of birth weight to placental weight ratio and other perinatal risk factors on left ventricular dimensions in newborns: a prospective cohort analysis

Ashraf Gad et al. J Perinat Med. .
Free article

Abstract

Objectives: To investigate the association between birth weight to placental weight (BW/PW) ratio, and echocardiographic left ventricle (LV) morphology at birth, while accounting for other relevant perinatal factors.

Methods: A prospective cohort study was conducted on neonates at NewYork-Presbyterian Brooklyn Methodist Hospital from 2014 to 2018, categorized by their BW/PW percentile. Missing data were imputed with principal component analysis. Chi-squared and one-way analysis of variance were used to compare BW/PW groups and the best regression model was selected using a genetic and backward stepwise algorithm.

Results: We analyzed 827 neonates in three BW/PW groups: small (n=16), normal (n=488), and large (n=323). Placental thickness and smallest diameter were positively correlated with several LV parameters, including inter-ventricular septal thickness during diastole (IVSd) (p=0.002, p<0.001) and systole (IVSs) (p=0.001, p<0.001), LV posterior wall thickness at end of diastole (LVPWd) (p=0.003, p<0.001) and systole (LVPWs) (p<0.001, p<0.001), LV mass (p=0.017, p<0.001), and LV mass/volume (p=0.011, p<0.001). The BW/PW ratio correlated with an increased shortening fraction (estimate=0.29, 95 % CI 0.03-0.55, p=0.027). PW correlated with IVSs (p=0.019), while the longest placental diameter was linked to a decrease in LV internal dimension during diastole (LVIDd) (estimate=-0.07, p=0.039), LV mass (estimate=-0.11, p=0.024), and LV mass/volume (estimate=-0.55, p=0.005).

Conclusions: This study found that several placental factors, including the BW/PW ratio, can independently affect LV dimension and morphology, highlighting the importance of fetal growth and placental health in the physiological adaptation of the fetal heart. More research is needed to establish causation and inform newborn prevention strategies.

Keywords: birth weight to placental weight ratio; congenital heart diseases; echocardiography; left ventricular dimensions; placental dimensions; placental efficacy.

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