A new prospective study led by researchers from RSAB Harapan Kita Hospital, Jakarta, and Dr. Sardjito Hospital, Yogyakarta, has provided valuable insights into how blood flow in the maternal ophthalmic artery changes throughout pregnancy, findings that could help improve early detection of preeclampsia, a leading cause of maternal and perinatal complications worldwide.
Why the Eye Matters in Pregnancy
The ophthalmic artery, which supplies blood to the eye, has been proposed as a window into maternal vascular health. Changes in its blood flow can reflect systemic vascular resistance, which is often altered in preeclampsia. While previous studies have shown promising results, there has been limited data on what constitutes normal changes across gestation in healthy pregnancies.
A Closer Look at the Study
In this longitudinal cohort study, the research team followed 998 low-risk pregnant women from 11 to 40 weeks of gestation, collecting 2,439 ultrasound scans in total. Using Doppler ultrasound, they measured the peak systolic velocity (PSV) ratio of the ophthalmic artery, a parameter considered one of the most reliable indicators in predicting preeclampsia.
To model how this ratio changes over time, the team applied fractional polynomial regression, allowing them to generate gestational age–specific reference charts and centile curves for clinical use.
Key Findings
The analysis revealed that the ophthalmic artery PSV ratio does not follow a straight pattern. Instead, it decreases gradually from early pregnancy until around 26 weeks, followed by a steady increase until term. This non-linear trend likely reflects adaptive changes in maternal vascular dynamics as pregnancy progresses.
Implications for Maternal Care
According to the researchers, these findings provide an important foundation for future studies exploring the use of ophthalmic artery Doppler as a predictive tool for preeclampsia. Establishing reference values across gestational ages could help clinicians distinguish between normal and abnormal vascular changes, potentially allowing earlier identification of women at risk.
The study underscores that careful monitoring of maternal vascular health, even through unconventional parameters like the ophthalmic artery, may hold the key to preventing serious pregnancy complications.