title: Effect of terminated fetal circulation on maternal angiogenic factors in severe early preeclampsia.
abstract: BACKGROUND; Although intrauterine presence of the placenta is essential in the etiology of preeclampsia (PE), case reports showed that the viability of the fetus influences the clinical course of PE and the intensity of the clinical symptoms.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  We examined the course of angiogenic factors soluble fms-like tyrosine kinase-1 receptors (sFlt-1) and placental growth factor (PlGF) in a case of severe early PE in week 22 + 1 of gestation, when fetal termination was required to stabilize maternal condition.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The cessation of the feto-placental perfusion via fetocide led to a reduction of the maternal sFlt-1 concentration of 8.3% which was associated with a decline of the sFlt-1/PlGF ratio from 405 to 334. Nevertheless, the highest change of the angiogenic factors was detected after ejection of the fetus and placenta.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our observations implicate that neither a vital fetus nor an intact feto-placental component is an obligatory prerequisite for the angiogenic imbalance that is associated with the preeclamptic phenotype.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics, University Hospital of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany. alexander.jank@medizin.uni-leipzig.de
authors.forename: Alexander
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Jank
authors.forename: Jürgen
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kratzsch
authors.forename: Holger
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Stepan
mesh_terms: D000032:Abortion, Therapeutic; D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D000072483:Placenta Growth Factor; D011225:Pre-Eclampsia / Q000097:blood / Q000628:therapy*; D011247:Pregnancy; D011257:Pregnancy Proteins / Q000097:blood*; D011262:Pregnancy Trimester, Second; D040281:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Receptor-1 / Q000097:blood*
chemical_list: C000608036:PGF protein, human; D011257:Pregnancy Proteins; D000072483:Placenta Growth Factor; C501162:FLT1 protein, human; D040281:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Receptor-1