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Differences in uterine artery blood flow and fetal growth between the early and late onset of pregnancy-induced hypertension

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Abstract

Purpose

We continuously measured bilateral uterine artery (UA) blood flow and compared differences in UA blood flow to investigate the differences in pathophysiology between early- and late-onset pregnancy-induced hypertension (PIH) and the usefulness of continuous monitoring of UA blood flow for the prediction of early-onset PIH.

Methods

The subjects were 76 PIH patients. The mean pulsatility index of bilateral UA (UAPI), an early diastolic notch in the velocity waveform, and regression curves were retrospectively examined and compared between early- and late-onset groups and the groups with and without fetal growth restriction (FGR).

Results

Regression curves of the UAPI in the early-onset group persisted at +2.0 standard deviations or more from the second to third trimester, while the UAPI in the late-onset group stayed within the normal range. A significantly higher mean UAPI with a high frequency of an early diastolic notch was observed in the early-onset group compared with the late-onset group in all pregnancy trimesters. There was a significant difference in UA resistance between the mild and severe groups and between the FGR and non-FGR groups, but to a small extent compared with the onset period.

Conclusion

There was a difference in pathophysiology between early- and late-onset PIH. Continuous monitoring of UA blood flow might be useful for the prediction of early-onset PIH if high UA resistance has been observed.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, 2-5-1 Shikata, Okayama, 700-8558, Japan

    Takashi Mitsui, Hisashi Masuyama, Jota Maki, Shoko Tamada, Yumika Hirano, Eriko Eto, Etsuko Nobumoto, Kei Hayata & Yuji Hiramatsu

Authors
  1. Takashi Mitsui
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  2. Hisashi Masuyama
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  3. Jota Maki
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  4. Shoko Tamada
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  5. Yumika Hirano
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  6. Eriko Eto
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  7. Etsuko Nobumoto
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  8. Kei Hayata
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  9. Yuji Hiramatsu
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Hisashi Masuyama.

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Ethical statements

All procedures followed were in accordance with the ethical standards of the responsible committee on human experimentation (institutional and national) and with the Helsinki Declaration of 1975, as revised in 2008. This study was approved by the Institutional Ethical Review Board of Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, and informed consent was obtained from all patients for being included in the study.

Conflict of interest

There are no financial or other relations that could lead to a conflict of interest.

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Mitsui, T., Masuyama, H., Maki, J. et al. Differences in uterine artery blood flow and fetal growth between the early and late onset of pregnancy-induced hypertension. J Med Ultrasonics 43, 509–517 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10396-016-0729-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10396-016-0729-6

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