title: Non-invasive detection of alterations of the carotid artery in pregnant women with high-frequency ultrasound.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To compare the thickness of the layers of the carotid artery wall in pregnant and fertile non-pregnant women.
  
  
  METHODS
  Prospective cross-sectional study.
  
  
  METHODS
  Fifty-one pregnant women at a mean gestational age of 38.9 weeks and 64 fertile non-pregnant women were examined at a University hospital.
  
  
  METHODS
  The three layers (adventitia, media, intima) of the superficial wall of the left common carotid artery were identified and measured with high-resolution ultrasound (22.5 MHz).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Pregnant women had a thinner intima layer (0.25 +/- 0.07/0.29 +/- 0.08 mm) and a thicker media layer (0.31 +/- 0.08/0.27 +/- 0.09 mm) compared with controls. A statistically significantly higher intima/media ratio was calculated for the pregnant women (1.14 +/- 0.03), compared with the non-pregnant women (0.88 +/- 0.04).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  There are differences in the thickness of the histological layers of the carotid artery wall in pregnant compared with non-pregnant women. This is likely to be due to the effect of different estradiol levels in these two groups.
authors.affiliation: Division of Gynecological Endocrinology and Reproductive Medicine, University of Vienna, Austria.
authors.forename: M O
authors.initials: MO
authors.lastname: Sator
authors.forename: E A
authors.initials: EA
authors.lastname: Joura
authors.forename: D M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Gruber
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Obruca
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Zeisler
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Egarter
authors.forename: J C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Huber
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002339:Carotid Arteries / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004730:Endothelium, Vascular / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D011247:Pregnancy; D011263:Pregnancy Trimester, Third; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012016:Reference Values; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D018084:Ultrasonography, Interventional; D016216:Ultrasonography, Prenatal / Q000379:methods*