title: Measurement of intraabdominal pressure in pregnant women at term.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine the baseline intraabdominal pressure (IAP) in pregnant women at term.
  
  
  METHODS
  Pregnant women at term undergoing scheduled cesarean delivery in the absence of labor had IAP measured via an intravesical catheter. Abdominal pressures were obtained in the dorsal supine position with a leftward tilt after the placement of spinal anesthesia. Measurements were taken immediately before and after cesarean delivery.
  
  
  RESULTS
  One hundred subjects were included in this Institutional Research Board-approved study. The median preoperative IAP measurement was 22 mm Hg, and the median postoperative IAP measurement was 16 mm Hg. The decrease in the IAP from the preoperative to the postoperative measurement was statistically significant (p < 0.0001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The median IAP measurement for pregnant patients at term is 22 mm Hg and is followed by a statistically significant decline after delivery.
authors.affiliation: Division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine, Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Women's Health, Hackensack University Medical Center, Women's and Children's Pavilion, 30 Prospect Avenue, Suite 2W-73, Hackensack, NJ 07601, USA. aal-khan@humed.com
authors.forename: Abdulla
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Al-Khan
authors.forename: Manan
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Shah
authors.forename: Mohamed
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Altabban
authors.forename: Sanjeev
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kaul
authors.forename: Keisha Y
authors.initials: KY
authors.lastname: Dyer
authors.forename: Manuel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Alvarez
authors.forename: Shelley
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Saber
mesh_terms: D000005:Abdomen; D000328:Adult; D001724:Birth Weight; D015992:Body Mass Index; D002585:Cesarean Section; D005260:Female; D005865:Gestational Age; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000175:diagnosis; D008875:Middle Aged; D011184:Postoperative Period; D011247:Pregnancy; D011263:Pregnancy Trimester, Third; D057234:Preoperative Period; D011312:Pressure; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012016:Reference Values; D013484:Supination