Photogrammetry of fetal breathing movements during the third trimester of pregnancy: observations in normal and abnormal pregnancies

Objective To evaluate parameters of fetal breathing movements - displacement of the fetal abdominal wall during inspiration and expiration, time of inspiration and expiration and speed of inspiration and expiration - between 30 and 36 weeks' gestation in normal pregnancies, and in those complicated by gestational diabetes or maternal hypertension. Methods Three categories of pregnancy were investigated: 49 were normal, 16 bad pregnancy-induced diabetes and 10 were hypertensive. According to their gestational age, the patients were divided into two groups: Group A between 30 and 32 weeks' gestation and Group B between 33 and 36 weeks. Using photogrammetry and a computer-operated algorithm, six parameters of fetal breathing movements were investigated. Results There were significant differences in the various fetal parameters measured among the three categories of pregnant women. Up until 32 weeks of gestation, the displacements during inspiration and expiration were larger, the speeds of inspiration and expiration were higher, and the times for inspiration and expiration were shorter in the diabetic and hypertensive groups than in the normal group. In the later period, between 33 and 36 weeks, fetuses of pregnancy-induced diabetic patients showed the lowest inspiration and expiration times and the highest speeds of inspiration and expiration. Conclusions Photogrammetry in conjunction with a computer-operated algorithm can. be used to assess fetal breathing movements. There are significant differences in fetal breathing movements between normal pregnancies and those that are complicated by gestational diabetes or hypertension. Copyright (C) 2008 ISUOG. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.