title: Diagnosis of pre-eclampsia and assessment of severity through examination of the placenta with acoustic radiation force impulse elastography.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To assess the value of placental shear wave velocity (SWV) measurement by acoustic radiation force impulse (ARFI) imaging for the diagnosis of pre-eclampsia and to determine the relationship between the SWV and the severity of pre-eclampsia.
  
  
  METHODS
  A prospective study was performed at a center in Turkey between August 2014 and March 2015. The study included consecutive pregnant women in the second or third trimester diagnosed with pre-eclampsia and healthy pregnant women without pre-eclampsia of similar ages. Patients with pre-eclampsia were divided into two groups (severe or mild disease) on the basis of revised American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists criteria. All patients underwent ARFI, and the SWV was measured at several placental locations.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Overall, 86 women were enrolled (42 with pre-eclampsia, 44 controls). Minimum, maximum, and mean SWV values were significantly higher in the pre-eclampsia group than in the control group (P<0.001 for all). These values were also significantly higher among patients with severe pre-eclampsia than among patients with mild pre-eclampsia (P<0.001 for all).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Measurement of the placental SWV with ARFI imaging is a useful additional method for the diagnosis of pre-eclampsia and for determination of the disease severity.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Dicle University Medical Faculty, Diyarbakır, Turkey. Electronic address: bircanalan@hotmail.com.
authors.forename: Bircan
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Alan
authors.affiliation: Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Dicle University Medical Faculty, Diyarbakır, Turkey.
authors.forename: Senem
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Tunç
authors.affiliation: Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Dicle University Medical Faculty, Diyarbakır, Turkey.
authors.forename: Elif
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Agacayak
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Dicle University Medical Faculty, Diyarbakır, Turkey.
authors.forename: Aslan
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bilici
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D054459:Elasticity Imaging Techniques; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D010920:Placenta / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D011225:Pre-Eclampsia / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D011247:Pregnancy; D011248:Pregnancy Complications / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D011262:Pregnancy Trimester, Second; D011263:Pregnancy Trimester, Third; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012372:ROC Curve; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D014421:Turkey
keywords: Acoustic radiation force impulse elastography; Placenta; Pre-eclampsia; Severe pre-eclampsia