Maternal renal artery blood flow velocimetry in normal and hypertensive pregnancies.
OBJECTIVE
To investigate the effect of normal pregnancy and hypertensive disorders of pregnancy on the maternal renal artery Doppler blood flow velocity indices.


METHODS
The patient material consisted of 30 normal pregnant women, 29 women with pregnancy induced hypertension, 43 women with preeclampsia and 22 pregnant women with chronic hypertension. Blood flow velocities in the segmental renal arteries from the right kidney were analysed by pulsed and color Doppler. The systolic/diastolic (s.d.) ratio, resistance index (RI) and pulsatility index (PI) were used for Doppler waveform analysis.


RESULTS
In all of the groups of hypertensive pregnant women renal artery Doppler indices were significantly lower compared to the normal pregnant women group. There was a significant negative relationship between renal artery PI and mean arterial pressure in the preeclampsia group and in the chronic hypertension group.


CONCLUSIONS
The present results demonstrate that the mechanism of renal autoregulation in preeclampsia might be altered, leaving glomerulus unprotected from increased blood pressure. It seems that the concept of renal vasoconstriction in preeclampsia might be disputed and needs further investigation.
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Karolinska Institutet, Huddinge University Hospital, Sweden.
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Kublickas
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Lunell
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Nisell
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Westgren
D003971:Diastole / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000503:physiopathology*; D011225:Pre-Eclampsia / Q000503:physiopathology*; D011247:Pregnancy; D011249:Pregnancy Complications, Cardiovascular / Q000503:physiopathology*; D012077:Renal Artery / Q000503:physiopathology*; D013599:Systole / Q000502:physiology; D018615:Ultrasonography, Doppler, Color; D018617:Ultrasonography, Doppler, Pulsed; D014655:Vascular Resistance