Our objective was to review current literature pertaining to antepartum fetal intracranial hemorrhage. To this goal we selected all manuscripts published in the English language regarding this topic obtained from a MEDLINE search for 1966 through January 1998. Additional sources were identified through cross-referencing. Antenatal fetal intracranial hemorrhage may occur spontaneously, or occur in association with various maternal or fetal conditions. Predisposing maternal conditions at risk for this occurrence include alloimmune and idiopathic thrombocytopenia, von Willebrand's disease, specific medications (warfarin) or illicit drug (cocaine) abuse, seizures, severe abdominal trauma inflicting subsequent fetal injury, amniocentesis, cholestasis of pregnancy and febrile disease. Predisposing fetal conditions include congenital factor-X and factor-V deficiencies, hemorrhage into various congenital tumors, twin-twin transfusion, demise of a co-twin, or fetomaternal hemorrhage. Currently, antepartum fetal intracranial hemorrhage may be diagnosed by imaging techniques including ultrasonography and less frequently, magnetic resonance imaging. Early real-time sonographic signs of intracranial hemorrhage consist of irregular echogenic patterns representing the associated hematoma that may clearly distort normal intracranial structures. Recent reports have suggested Doppler flow velocimetry and color Doppler imaging as additional tools in detecting fetal intracranial hemorrhage. Various types of antenatal fetal intracranial hemorrhages that have been visualized sonographically include intraventricular, periventricular, subependymal, parenchymal, subdural, and intracerebellar events. Active hemorrhages may be associated with fetal distress manifested by fetal heart rate changes. Infrequently, antenatal ultrasonographic depiction of intracranial hemorrhage may precede devastating sequelae such as hydrocephalus, hydranencephaly, porencephaly, or microcephaly. Due to the significant associated neonatal neurological impairment and potential medicolegal implications of antepartum fetal intracranial hemorrhage, it follows that obstetricians and sonographers should be familiar with predisposing factors and typical diagnostic imaging findings of these events.

Our objective was to study the influence of chronic hypertension on pregnancy outcome in women with gestational diabetes (GDM). 418 women with GDM (30 with chronic hypertension and 388 nonhypertensives) were referred to our diabetes in pregnancy program. All patients were followed and assessed biweekly until delivery. When hypertensive GDM women (n = 30) wer compared to all nonhypertensive GDM (n = 388), there were significant (p < 0.05) differences in mean maternal age (34 +/- 4.1 vs. 30 +/- 4.6 years), maternal weight (90 +/- 21.2 vs. 70.6 +/- 14.9 kg) and gestational age at delivery (38.5 +/- 1.2 vs. 39.6 +/- 1.2 weeks). The mean birth weight for the hypertensive GDM group was significantly higher than that of the nonhypertensive GDM (3,360 +/- 578 vs. 3,293 +/- 581 g; p < 0.05). The frequencies of LGA (23.3 vs. 9.8%) and induction prior to onset of spontaneous labor were significantly (p < 0.05) higher in the hypertensive GDM group when compared to the nonhypertensive GDM. There were no differences with respect to the average blood glucose and frequencies of SGA deliveries. However, when the 30 hypertensive GDM pregnancies were compared to a control group of 60 nonhypertensive GDM women matched for age, weight and height, the only significant difference was a higher rate of inductions of labor (36.7 vs. 6.6%, p < 0.05) in hypertensive diabetic women. There were no significant differences in the incidence of LGA, low Apgar scores and SGA deliveries when hypertensive GDM were compared to nonhypertensive GDM women.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Objective: To evaluate the fetal heart rate (FHR) response to vibroacoustic stimulation of fetuses entering the second stage of labor as a predictor of neonatal outcome.Methods: Three hundred sixteen cases and 316 controls were studied during the second stage of labor. All cases had vibroacoustic stimulation on entering the second stage of labor using an electronic artificial larynx. For control patients, the artificial larynx was not activated. The patients were stratified into groups based on the quality of FHR response: acceleration (n = 124), acceleration followed by deceleration (n = 120), and no response (n = 72).Results: Subsequent FHR accelerations and accelerations followed by decelerations were significantly more frequent in the study group than in controls (77.2 versus 15.2%; P < .05). The frequencies of low 5-minute Apgar scores (below 7) and low umbilical cord arterial pH (below 7.20) did not differ significantly in the group with the acceleration response when compared to those with acceleration followed by deceleration and the no-response groups. The incidence of nuchal cord was significantly higher for the group with a response pattern of acceleration followed by deceleration than for the acceleration and no-response groups (39.2 versus 10.5 versus 11.1%; P < .05).Conclusions: Vibroacoustic stimulation in the second stage of labor is associated with FHR reactivity, but the quality of FHR response does not predict neonatal outcome and therefore appears to have little value in enhancing the management of the second stage of labor. However, an acceleration followed by deceleration response suggests the presence of nuchal cord.

The objective of this report was to study the effect of oxytocin augmentation in arrest disorders in the presence of thick meconium on meconium aspiration and fetal acidosis. We evaluated 3,321 singleton, term deliveries with cephalic presentation at our institution. Eight percent (253/3,321) had thick meconium in labor, and these patients comprised the study sample. Of the 253 women with thick meconium, 84 had an arrest disorder in the active phase of labor with normal fetal heart rate tracing at the time of diagnosis. Seventy-four percent (62/84) of the women with arrest were treated with oxytocin(group 1) and 26% (22/84) delivered by cesarean section without augmentation (group 2). There was a significant (p < 0.05) increase in the incidence of meconium aspiration (14.5 vs. 4.5%) and low (<7.20) cord arterial pH (27.8 vs. 4.5%) in patients who received oxytocin compared to those who did not. Of the women who received oxytocin, 36 delivered vaginally, and 2 neonates had meconium aspiration. The remaining 26 women had cesarean sections following oxytocin augmentation and had a significantly higher (p < 0.05) frequency of meconium aspiration (26.9 vs. 4.5%) and low cord arterial pH (38.5 vs. 4.5%) compared to women who had cesarean sections without oxytocin augmentation. The findings suggest that oxytocin augmentation in arrest disorders in the presence of thick meconium may be associated with a higher risk of meconium aspiration and low umbilical cord arterial pH.