title: The effect of placental location on uterine artery flow velocity waveforms.
abstract: We examined the effect of placental location with regard to flow velocity waveforms in the uterine arteries in 84 control and 28 hypertensive women during the third trimester of pregnancy. The ratio of systolic peak to end-diastolic frequency was obtained with a continuous-wave Doppler device and the placental location was determined by real-time ultrasonography. In both normal and hypertensive pregnancies with unilateral placental location the systolic/diastolic ratio of the ipsilateral uterine artery was significantly lower than the contralateral artery ratio [1.73 +/- 0.35 (systolic/diastolic ratio) versus 2.46 +/- 0.73, p less than 0.001, and 2.38 +/- 1.01 versus 4.04 +/- 1.77, p = 0.0012, respectively]. The physiologic and clinical significance of this finding is discussed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Bowman Gray School of Medicine, Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, NC 27103.
authors.forename: A D
authors.initials: AD
authors.lastname: Kofinas
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Penry
authors.forename: F C
authors.initials: FC
authors.lastname: Greiss
authors.forename: P J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Meis
authors.forename: L H
authors.initials: LH
authors.lastname: Nelson
mesh_terms: D001158:Arteries / Q000502:physiology / Q000503:physiopathology; D003971:Diastole; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000503:physiopathology; D010920:Placenta / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D011247:Pregnancy; D011249:Pregnancy Complications, Cardiovascular; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012016:Reference Values; D012039:Regional Blood Flow; D013599:Systole; D014463:Ultrasonography; D014599:Uterus / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000098:blood supply*