Ultrasound in obstetrics & gynecology : the official journal of the International Society of Ultrasound in Obstetrics and Gynecology
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Ultrasound Obstet Gynecol · Nov 2001
Maternal diastolic function in asymptomatic pregnant women with bilateral notching of the uterine artery waveform at 24 weeks' gestation: a pilot study.
To study second-trimester maternal cardiac adaptation in asymptomatic patients at risk, on the basis of abnormal uterine artery Doppler, for the development of gestational hypertension or having a small-for-gestational age fetus. Fetal and maternal outcomes were verified at the end of pregnancy. ⋯ Women who subsequently develop a complication of pregnancy tend to display abnormal cardiac adaptation. An abnormal placentation process, expressed by an elevated resistance index and the presence of notches in the uterine artery waveform, are likely to cause an adaptative mechanism involving the whole cardiovascular system. A pathological outcome of pregnancy is associated with the failure of this process.