title: Increased expression of vascular endothelial growth factor in cardiac structures of fetus with hydrops as compared to nonhydropic controls.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The hypothesis that severe fetal hydrops is caused by an excess of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), mainly produced in the fetal heart, is tested.
  
  
  METHODS
  Immunohistochemical VEGF-stained postmortem biopsies from the right ventricle and right atrium of 8 hydropic fetuses were compared to those of 8 nonhydropic fetuses. The endocardium, myocardium, epicardium, endothelium, and vascular smooth muscle cells were scored on intensity of VEGF-staining. The Mann-Witney test was used to test for significancy (p < 0.05) of the differences in staining. Increased vascularization as a result of VEGF was measured in both groups by standard randomization count.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The endocardium, epicardium and endothelium of the coronary vessels showed significantly (p < 0.05) more intense VEGF-staining in the hydrops group than in the control group. The atria showed more intense staining than the ventricles in both groups. The hydropic fetuses showed a significantly increased number of coronary vessels in the myocardium. These vessels contained more blood cells than the coronary vessels in nonhydropic fetuses.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The fetal heart appears to be a major source of excess VEGF in fetal hydrops.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Erasmus Medical Center, University of Rotterdam, Rotterdam, The Netherlands. h.brrandenburg@erasmusmc.nl
authors.forename: Helen
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Brandenburg
authors.forename: Margot M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Bartelings
authors.forename: Lambertus J
authors.initials: LJ
authors.lastname: Wisse
authors.forename: Eric A P
authors.initials: EA
authors.lastname: Steegers
authors.forename: Adriana C
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Gittenberger-de Groot
mesh_terms: D005318:Fetal Heart / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D006325:Heart Atria / Q000196:embryology / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D006352:Heart Ventricles / Q000196:embryology / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D015160:Hydrops Fetalis / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000378:metabolism*; D042461:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D042461:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A