title: [Intima-media thickness and hypertensive disorders of pregnancy: a prospective study].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate intima-media thickness (IMT) in hypertensive pregnant women and to ascertain if an increased IMTcorrelates with the development of preeclampsia.
  
  
  METHODS
  A controlled, descriptive and prospective study was conducted in the Maternal-Fetal Medicine Unit (MFMU) of a level II hospital with perinatal assistance. Throughout six months randomly selected pregnant women were allocated in three branches (A - control group, n = 17; B - gestational hypertension group, n = 17; C - pregestational hypertension group, n = 14(. All of them were subjected to clinical interview, physical exam, obstetric ultrasound, laboratory and CTG evaluation and IMT measurement in the distal wall of both common carotid arteries at 1 cm. from bifurcation by the same operator from whom group classification was concealed. High resolution ultrasound and a linear 7.5 MHz transducer were used. Follow-up included obstetric and neonatal outcomes.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Mean IMT was 0.43 mm with a standard deviation (sd) of 0.09 mm in group A; 0.52 (sd=0.11), p=0.034 in group B; 0.58 (sd=0.11), p=2,3×10-4 in group C. RESULTS were not significantly different in hypertensive women with or without preeclampsia (0.52 (sd=0.11) vs 0.57 (sd=0.11), p=0.20).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Carotid IMT, a validated endothelial dysfunction surrogate endpoint, was increased in both groups B and C although there were no differences between hypertensive women with or without preeclampsia.
authors.affiliation: Serviço de Obstetricia do Hospital Fernando Fonseca, Amadora.
authors.forename: Carlos
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Verissimo
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D011247:Pregnancy; D059168:Carotid Intima-Media Thickness; D006973:Hypertension / Q000209:etiology; D011225:Pre-Eclampsia / Q000209:etiology; D011249:Pregnancy Complications, Cardiovascular / Q000209:etiology; D011446:Prospective Studies