Hemodynamic changes in maternal renal arteries in twin pregnancy.
OBJECTIVE
We examined whether the Doppler waveforms of the maternal renal main arteries are altered in women with twin pregnancy compared with those in singleton pregnancy.


METHODS
The indices of vascular resistance and acceleration time of the maternal main renal arteries were obtained from 19 healthy women at 37-38 weeks of singleton gestation and 17 women at the same gestational age with non-preeclamptic twin gestation.


RESULTS
There were no significant differences in the indices of vascular resistance between the singleton and twin groups. However, the acceleration time was significantly prolonged in the twin pregnancy group compared with that in the singleton pregnancy group (83.7 +/- 24 vs. 59.8 +/- 12 ms, p < 0.01).


CONCLUSIONS
The current results imply that maternal renal arteries are more significantly affected by hemodynamic changes in twin pregnancy than in singleton pregnancy.
Igarashi
Miwa
M
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Japanese Red Cross Katsushika Maternity Hospital, 5-11-12 Tateishi, Katsushika-ku, Tokyo, Japan.
Miyake
Hidehiko
H
Suzuki
Shunji
S
D000328:Adult; D001724:Birth Weight; D001783:Blood Flow Velocity / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007668:Kidney / Q000098:blood supply* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D011247:Pregnancy; D011272:Pregnancy, Multiple / Q000502:physiology*; D012077:Renal Artery / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000502:physiology*; D018615:Ultrasonography, Doppler, Color; D016216:Ultrasonography, Prenatal / Q000379:methods*