CTG-Based Multiparametric Risk Stratification of Pregnant Women with Smoking Habit and Pregnant Women with IUGR

Abstract

Different measures derived from linear and non linear fields are used in order to discriminate between normal fetuses and those exposed to cigarette smoking produced substances during pregnancy as well as fetuses with intra-uterine growth restriction (IUGR). There are computed parameters that indicate correlation or measures of complexity of the Fetal Heart Rate (FHR), in order to get closer to the core of information that the Cardiotocography (CTG) signal can convey and thus increase our understanding of FHR fluctuations. We analyzed signals recorded from 84 low risk pregnant women without any risk factor in a singleton pregnancy, 15 pregnant women with IUGR and 15 pregnant women that smoked during pregnancy. The analysis of FHR has shown that some parameters, such as Pearson Autocorrelation, Kurtosis and Algorithmic Complexity in cigarette-exposed fetuses as well as Hjorth Mobility in fetuses with IUGR could be used for early recognition of these potentially dangerous conditions and thus form biomarkers for risk stratification.