Maternal Breath-Holding and the Valsalva Maneuver: Methods to Overcome Fetal Breathing Movements During Doppler Sonography

Fetal breathing movements (FBM) hinder Doppler measurements in the fetus. The aim of the present study was to establish whether FBM are overcome by the mother holding her breath for a few seconds or performing the Valsalva maneuver (VM). This prospective study included a group of 120 consecutive patients showing FBM. In 78 patients (65%), FBM were observed only at the beginning of the examination and then stopped spontaneously. In the other 42 patients, FBM were still present during and at the end of the general examination. These patients were considered for the evaluation. In a first step, the mother was asked to hold her breath for 5 s. If FBM continued, the procedure was repeated. If this also failed, the Valsalva maneuver was performed. In the presence of fetal apnea, flow velocity measurements were taken from the umbilical artery. Nine patients (21%) halted FBM with the first attempt at maternal breath-holding, four patients (10%) with the second attempt and 22 patients (52%) on using the VM. FBM was arrested within a maximum of 94 s after breath-holding or the VM. No reaction to any of the procedures was observed in seven patients (17%). Breath-holding alone or in combination with the Valsalva maneuver has been shown to be effective in overcoming the problem of FBM during prenatal Doppler examination in most cases. (E-mail: gabriele.meyberg-solomayer@med.uni-tuebingen.de)