Fetal heart rate variability in growth restricted fetuses

Abstract

Intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) remains a major problem in perinatal medicine because of the variety of its underlying causes and the prediction of its outcome. Characteristics of heartbeat interval patterns are associated with neuro-vegetative and humoral regulatory processes. Fetal magnetocardiography allows non-invasive assessment of these processes with high precision throughout the second half of gestation. The aim of our study was the analysis of linear and non-linear parameters of fetal heart rate fluctuations to distinguish between IUGR fetuses and a cohort of normal subjects, both pre-selected from heart-rate traces representing a quiet state of activity in the third trimester of gestation.