The role of power Doppler sonography in the prenatal evaluation of fetal renal vasculature

This study was performed to determine whether power Doppler sonography is s uperior to color Doppler sonography in the depiction of the normal fetal in trarenal vasculature during pregnancy. Twenty-five fetal kidneys in 22 heal thy fetuses between 22 and 40 weeks of gestation (mean 32.6 weeks) were stu died with color and power Doppler sonography with a 3.75 MHz transducer. Th e efficacy of power and color Doppler sonography were compared in assessing fetal renal vasculature, Power Doppler sonography demonstrated diffuse "bl ush" in almost the entire cortex in 21 of 25 fetal kidneys, whereas it Mras demonstrated in half of the cortex in the other four kidneys. Color Dopple r sonography failed to demonstrate a cortical blush in fetal kidneys. Power Doppler sonography has been shown to be superior to color Doppler sonograp hy in the depiction of normal fetal intrarenal vasculature during pregnancy by demonstrating vascular bloodflow better than color Doppler sonography. (C) Elsevier Science Inc., 1999.