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Updated: Jun 14, 2026

Fetal Echocardiography and Pulsed-wave Doppler Ultrasound in a Rabbit Model of Intrauterine Growth Restriction
Published on: June 29, 2013
Relationship between cardiovascular function and fetal growth restriction in women with pre-eclampsia
Rui-zhe Jia1, Xiao-mei Liu, Xin Wang
1Department of Obstetrics, Nanjing Maternity and Child Health Hospital Affiliated to Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China.
Objective:
To investigate the relationship between cardiovascular function in women with pre-eclampsia and fetal growth restriction (FGR) using impedance cardiography.
Method:
This retrospective study was performed with 639 participants allocated to one of 4 groups, a pre-eclampsia (PE) with FGR group, a PE without FGR group, a pregnancy-induced hypertension (PIH) without FGR group, and normal pregnancy (NP) group. Hemodynamic monitoring was performed noninvasively using impedance cardiography.
Results:
Mean arterial pressure and peripheral resistance were significantly higher, and cardiac output and maternal systolic function were significantly lower, in the 2 PE groups than in the PIH and NP groups, and these differences were the greatest between the NP and the PE with FGR groups.
Conclusion:
Impedance cardiography allowed to observe a gradual increase in peripheral resistance and cardiac output from the NP group to the PIH, the PE without FGR, and the PE with FGR groups. The most reduced systolic function and cardiac output and the most increased peripheral resistance was observed in the PE with FGR group.
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