Abstract
This study examined the impact of blood glucose-regulated gestational diabetes (GDM) on fetal pulmonary artery Doppler parameters. This prospective case-control study was performed at a tertiary university hospital. The study cohort comprised GDM patients with controlled blood glucose levels and a healthy control group. Acceleration time/ejection time (At/Et) of the main pulmonary artery, right pulmonary artery, and left pulmonary artery Doppler parameters were assessed and contrasted between the two groups. The study comprised 90 patients, with 30 in the gestational diabetes mellitus group focused on blood sugar regulation and 60 in the healthy control group. No statistically significant difference was observed between the two groups regarding the common main pulmonary artery At/Et (p = 0.465), right pulmonary artery At/Et (p = 0.237), and left pulmonary artery At/Et (p = 0.283). No statistically significant difference was noted between the two groups regarding APGAR scores and blood gas parameters of the newborns (p < 0.05). No statistically significant difference was observed in fetal pulmonary artery Doppler parameters (p < 0.05) when gestational diabetes mellitus cases were classified based on the utilization of diet and insulin for blood sugar regulation. The pulmonary artery Doppler parameters in fetuses of pregnant women with gestational diabetes mellitus and controlled blood sugar levels are comparable to those of healthy controls. Moreover, dietary habits and insulin administration for glycemic control did not alter pulmonary artery Doppler metrics. The findings suggest that well-managed gestational diabetes mellitus, irrespective of the treatment modality, do not substantially influence the fetal pulmonary artery dynamics.