title: Maternal middle cerebral artery velocity changes in HELLP syndrome versus pre-eclampsia.
abstract: Our objective was to determine whether there is a difference in middle cerebral artery blood flow velocity in patients with the syndrome of hemolysis, elevated liver enzymes and low platelet counts (HELLP syndrome) compared to a matched controlled group of patients with pre-eclampsia and without HELLP syndrome. Six pre-eclamptic patients with HELLP syndrome and 12 pre-eclamptic women without HELLP syndrome had maternal middle cerebral artery blood flow velocity assessed antepartum and at 24 and 48 h postpartum. We compared the effect of the development of HELLP syndrome on middle cerebral artery blood flow velocity changes using non-parametric tests. Patients with HELLP syndrome showed no significant differences in diastolic, systolic, mean middle cerebral artery blood flow velocity or pulsatility index in either the antepartum or 24-h and 48-h postpartum phases when compared to non-HELLP pre-eclamptic patients. Our data suggest that there is no difference in the blood flow velocity waveform of the maternal middle cerebral artery between patients with pre-eclampsia and those with HELLP syndrome.
authors.affiliation: University of British Columbia, Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Vancouver, Canada.
authors.forename: K P
authors.initials: KP
authors.lastname: Williams
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Wilson
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001783:Blood Flow Velocity; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002536:Cerebral Arteries / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D002560:Cerebrovascular Circulation; D005260:Female; D017359:HELLP Syndrome / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000503:physiopathology; D006801:Humans; D010108:Oxyhemoglobins / Q000378:metabolism; D011225:Pre-Eclampsia / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000503:physiopathology; D011247:Pregnancy; D011673:Pulsatile Flow; D017585:Ultrasonography, Doppler, Transcranial; D016216:Ultrasonography, Prenatal
chemical_list: D010108:Oxyhemoglobins