EVALUATION OF PLACENTAL MATURITY GRADING ON ULTRASONOGRAPHY ACROSS THE 2ND & 3RD TRIMESTERS IN NORMOTENSIVE AND HYPERTENSIVE PATIENTS

Abstract

Objective: The placenta provides hormonal, nutritional, and immunological support for fetal growth, however, maternal hypertension may cause aberrant placental maturation, thereby, causing adverse outcomes. This study evaluates placental maturity grading on Ultrasonography across the 2nd & 3rd trimesters in normotensive and hypertensive patients. Method: This study involves two equal groups of 70 pregnant women; Group A having normotensive patients, and Group B having hypertensive patients. With the progression of the pregnancy, the placenta's location and maturity grade were assessed and comparisons were made using data analysis. Results: The study reveals that placental maturity significantly advances with increasing gestational age (p < 0.001), with higher grades (II and III) predominantly observed in the third trimester. The overall findings failed to show a statistically significant difference in placental grading between normotensive and hypertensive women (p = 0.237 from ordinal logistic regression). Placental thickness (p < 0.001) and estimated fetal weight (EFW) (p < 0.001) significantly increased from the second to the third trimester, consistent with physiological growth. Conclusion: This study found that placental maturity significantly advances with increasing gestational age, with higher grades predominating in the third trimester. Early advanced grades in hypertensive cases emphasize the necessity of continued ultrasound surveillance in high-risk pregnancies, even though variations in grading between normotensive and hypertensive women were not statistically significant.