title: Pulsation of the fetal splenic vein--a potential ultrasound marker of histological chorioamnionitis and funisitis in women with preterm prelabor rupture of membranes.
abstract: The fetal spleen is involved in the response to intrauterine infection and inflammation. The flow pattern of its vein is not pulsatile in normal conditions. The aim of the study was to determine whether the presence of histological chorioamnionitis and funisitis is associated with a continuous or pulsatile flow pattern in the fetal splenic vein. We performed a prospective study including 79 women with preterm prelabor rupture of membranes. We found a relation between pulsation in the splenic vein and histological chorioamnionitis (likelihood ratio 13.2), as well as funisitis (likelihood ratio 5.7). Ultrasound evaluation of the splenic vein could be a non-invasive tool for the prediction of these inflammatory complications.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Faculty of Medicine Hradec Kralove, Charles University in Prague, University Hospital Hradec Kralove, Czech Republic.
authors.forename: Ivana
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Musilova
authors.forename: Marian
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kacerovsky
authors.forename: Helena
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Hornychova
authors.forename: Milan
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kostal
authors.forename: Bo
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Jacobsson
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002821:Chorioamnionitis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000503:physiopathology*; D005260:Female; D005322:Premature Rupture of Fetal Membranes / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006801:Humans; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D011247:Pregnancy; D011673:Pulsatile Flow; D013162:Splenic Vein / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D018615:Ultrasonography, Doppler, Color; D016216:Ultrasonography, Prenatal