Uterine Artery Pulsatility Index Changes in Hypertensive Pregnancies during Antepartum, Immediate Postpartum and Late Postpartum Periods

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Faculty of Medicine [for girls], Al-Azhar University, Cairo, Egypt

Abstract

Background and Aim of the work: Normal pregnancy placentation causes endovascular trophoblast to penetrate the spiral arteries, which leads to significant artery remodeling. Hence, our study aimed to document alternations in the uterine artery Pulsatility index [UAPI] in antepartum hypertensive pregnancy, early postpartum, and late postpartum periods compared with normal pregnancy. Regarding changes in uterine artery Doppler study, we investigated 50 cases [25 hypertensive and 25 normotensive pregnancies] in antepartum [30 weeks until birth], early postpartum [within 2 days], and late Postpartum [3 weeks].
Patients and Methods: Fifty pregnant women were included in this study; they were separated into two equal groups depending on whether they had hypertension at any point throughout their pregnancy. Women in group [A] have hypertensive diseases throughout pregnancy, including gestational hypertension, preeclampsia, preeclampsia with chronic hypertension and superimposed preeclampsia. Women in group [B] had pregnancies with normotension.
Results: In the antepartum, early postpartum, and late postpartum phases, group A systolic and diastolic blood pressures were considerably greater than group B [P value <0.001]. On the other hand, there was no discernible variation in the amniotic fluid index [AFI] between the two groups. In the antepartum, early postpartum, and late postpartum phases, group A right [Rt] and left [Lt] UAPI, uterine artery resistance index [UARI], and early diastolic notch [EDN] were considerably greater than group B. In the late postpartum phases, there was no discernible difference in the EDN between the two groups.
Conclusion: Rt and Lt UAPI and UARI are substantially elevated in hypertensive women compared to normotensive women during antepartum and postpartum periods.

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