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Endothelial cell function enhancement in a late normal human pregnancy
Author(s) -
FABERSWENSSON Anders Per,
O'CALLAGHAN Stephen Patrick Michael,
WALTERS William Allen Willcox
Publication year - 2004
Publication title -
australian and new zealand journal of obstetrics and gynaecology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.734
H-Index - 65
eISSN - 1479-828X
pISSN - 0004-8666
DOI - 10.1111/j.1479-828x.2004.00302.x
Subject(s) - medicine , pregnancy , obstetrics , observational study , ultrasound , third trimester , first trimester , gynecology , gestation , biology , genetics , radiology
Objective: To assess endothelial cell function throughout normal human pregnancy. Design: Longitudinal observational study. Population: Pregnant women attending antenatal clinics and female nursing staff. Methods: Flow mediated dilatation (FMD) was measured by high resolution ultrasound and used as a surrogate measure for endothelial cell function and measured in pregnant women and in non‐pregnant female controls. Measurements were performed throughout normal pregnancies in each trimester. Results: Mean FMD was increased by 80% and 64% in the third trimester compared to the first and second trimesters, respectively, and by 92% compared to the mean FMD of the non‐pregnant controls. The increased FMD in the third trimester was demonstrated to be statistically significant in comparison with all the above groups by two‐sample t ‐tests ( P < 0.01for all comparisons). Conclusion: Endothelial cell function, measured by ultrasound assessment of FMD, is enhanced in late normal human pregnancy.