Doppler sonography of the uterine and the cubital arteries in normal pregnancies, preeclampsia and intrauterine growth restriction: evidence for a systemic vessel involvement
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Barbara Schiessl
Abstract
Aims: The decrease in uterine resistance during normal pregnancy is known to be related to invading trophoblast cells which derive from placental tissue. Uterine and peripheral resistance is elevated in preeclampsia. The aim of the present study was to prospectively examine uterine and peripheral resistance in pregnancies complicated by preeclampsia (PE), fetal intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) and pregnancy induced hypertension (PIH).
Methods: Sixty-seven women with normal pregnancies, 17 with PE, 12 with IUGR underwent Doppler sonographic investigation of the uterine and the cubital arteries. The Pulsatility Index (PI) was calculated for each vessel. Statistical analysis was performed and a P-value <0.05 was considered significant.
Results: Patients with preeclampsia and IUGR showed a significant higher resistance at the placental (mean PI 1.267 and 1.063), nonplacental (mean PI 1.631 and 1.124) and cubital artery (mean PI 3,777 and 3.995) compared to the normal pregnancy group (mean PI 0.678; 0.859 and 2.95 respectively). Mean birth weight in the PE group was 1409 g, in the IUGR group 1649 g and 3419 g in the normal pregnancy group.
Conclusions: Pregnancies with IUGR are associated with elevated peripheral resistance in the maternal arterial system as seen in pregnancies with preeclampsia. Our findings encourage to further investigate the maternal vascular system in high risk pregnancies.
References
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- Antenatal diagnosis of velocardiofacial syndrome by 3D ultrasonography
- Congress Calendar
Articles in the same Issue
- Intrapartum fetal monitoring today
- Placental Doppler velocimetry in gestational diabetes mellitus
- Induction of labor with oral misoprostol in nulliparous mothers of twins
- Is the nausea and vomiting of early pregnancy really feto-protective?
- Tele-virtual sonography
- The effect of betamethasone administration on uterine motility in pregnancy. A prospective study using four-channel tocography
- Perinatal outcomes of spontaneous twins compared with twins conceived through intracytoplasmic sperm injection
- Doppler sonography of the uterine and the cubital arteries in normal pregnancies, preeclampsia and intrauterine growth restriction: evidence for a systemic vessel involvement
- The efficacy of first-trimester PAPP-A and free βhCG levels for predicting adverse pregnancy outcome
- Sonographic monitoring of systemic and local methotrexate (MTX) therapy in patients with intact interstitial pregnancies
- The Northwestern twin chorionicity study: testing the ‘placental crowding’ hypothesis
- Combined first trimester screening for trisomy 21: lack of agreement between risk calculation methods
- Neonatal septicemia in high risk babies in South-Eastern Nigeria
- Maternal antenatal administration of vitamin K1 results in increasing the activities of vitamin K-dependent coagulation factors in umbilical blood and in decreasing the incidence rate of periventricular-intraventricular hemorrhage in premature infants
- Antenatal diagnosis of velocardiofacial syndrome by 3D ultrasonography
- Congress Calendar