title: [Hemodynamic modifications in splenic circulation studied by echo-Doppler during pregnancy].
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Pregnancy produces multiple changes in the mother's body, most of which have been studied. However, changes in hepatosplenic circulation are not well-known. The routine use of ultrasonography and of echo-Doppler has created new possibilities for the knowledge of splenic circulation during pregnancy.
  
  
  METHODS
  We studied 30 healthy pregnant women who had given their informed consent. To evaluate the morphological and hemodynamic changes that might occur in the splenic vessels during pregnancy and immediate puerperium, laboratory investigations, obstetric and hepatic ultrasonography, and hepatosplenic echo-Doppler were performed between weeks 8-12, 20-24, and 32-36, as well as in the immediate puerperium.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The caliber of the vena porta and its tributaries, as well as that of its intrahepatic branches, increased while the caliber of the suprahepatic vessels slightly decreased during pregnancy. The hemodynamic changes detected by Doppler ultrasonography were: progressive flattening of the pulsed Doppler trace of the suprahepatic vessels during the course of pregnancy; a progressive reduction in mean portal velocity, which was more marked in the third trimester, and a decrease in the markers of resistance in the hepatic artery and superior mesenteric artery.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Hemodynamic changes in hepatosplenic circulation are produced during pregnancy that can be safely and effectively evaluated in real time by ultrasonography and echo-Doppler. Knowledge of these changes is required to evaluate these vessels in pathological conditions.
authors.affiliation: Clínica San Rafael. Cadiz. Spain.
authors.forename: M A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Mayo
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: López-Cano
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Méndez
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Muñoz
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Pacheco
authors.forename: F J
authors.initials: FJ
authors.lastname: Vico
mesh_terms: D005260:Female; D006439:Hemodynamics; D006801:Humans; D049590:Postpartum Period; D011247:Pregnancy / Q000502:physiology*; D011264:Pregnancy Trimesters; D013152:Splanchnic Circulation; D018608:Ultrasonography, Doppler; D016216:Ultrasonography, Prenatal