VP31.07: Fetal neurosonographic assessment after maternal COVID‐19 infection during pregnancy

Objectives

To assess the impact of COVID‐19 during pregnancy in terms of fetal neurosonography (NSG) and its association with maternal severity and gestational age at infection.

Methods

Multicentric prospective cohort study including singleton pregnant women with COVID‐19 infection at 5 hospitals in Spain, from April 2020 to April 2021. Maternal infection was confirmed by clinical symptoms, nasopharyngeal PCR, or by serologic testing. Pregnancies were subdivided according to clinical severity of maternal COVID‐19 disease according to NIH Classification. Fetal NSG was performed once COVID‐19 symptoms ceased, at least 4 weeks after maternal infection.

Results

NSG was performed in 306 fetuses including 77 asymptomatic patients (26%), 195 mild COVID‐19 disease (64%), and 32 moderate/severe COVID‐19 disease (one critical, 10%). Maternal infection occurred in first trimester in 27% of cases, in second trimester in 53%, and in 19.4% during the third trimester. Gestational age at NSG was similar among groups [median 33 weeks (IQR: 32.2‐35.1)]. No significant differences were observed in fetal corpus callosum or fetal cortical development, according to maternal severity of COVID‐19 (table 1) or trimester at infection.

Conclusions

Severity of maternal COVID‐19 infection during pregnancy does not seem be associated with fetal neurosonographic abnormalities nor altered cortical brain development.