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Updated: Aug 25, 2026

A Rat Model of Mild Intrauterine Hypoperfusion with Microcoil Stenosis
Published on: January 7, 2018
Low blood pressure among very-low-birth-weight infants with fetal vessel inflammation
Toby Debra Yanowitz1, Robyn Wyman Baker, James Michael Roberts
1Department of Pediatrics, The University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, and Magee-Womens Research Institute, PA, USA.
Objective:
To test the hypothesis that fetal vessel inflammation (FVI: funisitis and/or fetal vasculitis) is associated with lower blood pressure (BP) over the first week of life and an increased risk of periventricular leukomalacia (PVL) among premature infants.
Study Design:
A total of 255 infants born at <1350 g to normotensive mothers were stratified by gestational age (GA) and grouped by presence/absence of FVI on placental pathology. Daily highest (Hi) and lowest (Lo) systolic BP (BP(sys)), mean BP (BP(mn)) and diastolic BP (BP(dia)) over first 7 days of life were analyzed by repeated measures ANOVA and regression analysis. Cranial ultrasounds were obtained at 2 weeks of life.
Results:
Infants > or =30 weeks gestation with FVI had lower HiBP(sys), HiBP(mn), HiBP(dia), LoBP(sys), LoBP(mn) and LoBP(dia) (p<0.001) than did infants without FVI. Infants with PVL (all < or =27 weeks gestation) had lower LoBP(mn) and LoBP(dia) (p<0.01) than controls. FVI did not increase the risk of PVL in these infants.
Conclusion:
FVI and PVL are associated with reduced BP over the first week of life.
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