Fetal ductus venosus, middle cerebral artery and umbilical artery flow responses to uterine contractions in growth-restricted human pregnancies.
Objective To explore fetal ductus venosus (DV) flow velocity changes relative to umbilical artery (UA) blood flow and brain-sparing flow (BSF) during uterine contractions. Methods Forty-five term fetuses suspected of having growth restriction were exposed to an oxytocin challenge test (OCT) with simultaneous Doppler velocimetry in the UA, middle cerebral artery (MCA) and DV. Basal BSF was defined