Uterine artery impedance during puerperium in normotensive and chronic hypertensive pregnant women

• Type: Article in International Scientific Journal
• Date: 2015

Authors

Luís Guedes-Martins (Author) Other; Joaquim Saraiva (Author) Other; Felgueiras, O (Author) FCUP; Mariana Carvalho (Author) Other; Ana Cerdeira (Author) Other; Filipe Macedo (Author) Other; Rita Gaio (Author) FCUP; Henrique Almeida (Author) Other

Journal

Title: Archives of Gynecology and Obstetrics

Vol. 291

Pages: 1237-1246

ISSN: 0932-0067

Publisher: Springer Nature

Indexing

ISI Web of Knowledge - 4 Citations

Scopus - 5 Citations

Other information

Authenticus ID: P-00A-1P9

DOI: 10.1007/s00404-014-3560-6

Abstract (EN): The present study compared the Doppler flow pulsatility indices (PI) in the uterine arteries (UtA) during the puerperium between healthy women and those with stage-1 essential hypertension who had uncomplicated pregnancies and delivered by elective caesarean section. The change in the mean arterial pressure (MAP) and body mass index (BMI) over time was also assessed. A longitudinal and prospective study was performed in singleton pregnancies of 28 normotensive (NT) and 24 hypertensive (HT) women. The UtA-PI was measured immediately before caesarean section (time 0) and at 1 week (time 1) and 4 weeks (time 2) postpartum. The presence or absence of early diastolic notches was recorded. The change in the MAP, BMI, and UtA-PI over time and between the two populations was modelled through multivariate linear regression using the generalised least squares. In both groups, the UtA-PI significantly increased from time 0 to time 1 (p < 0.05) and time 2 (p < 0.05). Stage-1 hypertension did not change the trend but did increase the UtA-PI magnitude (p < 0.05). The presence of uterine artery notching increased over time, from 6 to 98 %, in both groups (p < 0.001); however, in the HT group, at time 1, the majority of women exhibited positive notching [92 % (HT) vs 57 % (NT), p = 0.013]. Chronic stage-1 hypertensive women with normal pregnancy outcomes exhibited a progressively increasing postpartum UtA impedance. This trend also occurred in normotensive women, albeit at a significantly lower magnitude.

Language: English

Type (Professor's evaluation): Scientific

No. of pages: 10