Intrauterine Growth Restriction - Monitoring and Pregnancy Outcomes - A Narrative Review

Abstract

Abstract

Intrauterine growth restriction is described as a fetus not reaching its growth potential during pregnancy. Placental malperfusion is the main cause of Intrauterine growth restriction. Management of Intrauterine Gowth Restriction includes monitoring and determining the time of birth in order to reduce the risks of complications. Our review explore the current knowledge with regard to the monitoring of pregnancies with Intrauterine Growth Restriction and the role of biomarkers in this process. The importance of this issue is based on the poor outcomes of the pregnacies with severe intrauterine growth restriction. Our results show that different organizations make different recommendations for diagnosis and management in case of intrauterine growth restriction, somehow contradictory. Which means that in addition to ultrasound measurements, Doppler velocimetry, cardiotocography, biomarkers for prediction and diagnosis should be identified. Different biomarkers such as angiogenic factors, proteomics, genomics etc have been explored, poor pregnancy outcomes being associated with severe intrauterine growth restriction. Finding specific biomarkers is of crucial importance, in the context of multidisciplinary management.