Persistence of abnormal uterine artery flow postpartum: Case-control study

Amir Naeh1, Alexandra Berezowsky1, Shimrit Salem Yaniv1

  • 1Division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, St. Michael's Hospital, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

Cohort study of singleton pregnancies with risk factors for placental insufficiency, managed at St. Michael's Hospital in Toronto, Canada. Patients undergone UA Doppler assessment at 18-22 weeks' gestation and 6 weeks postpartum. 15 pregnancies complicated by preeclampsia or intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) (cases) were compared to 17 unaffected pregnancies (controls). Cases with preeclampsia and/or IUGR had higher UA PI at 18-22 weeks than controls. By 6 weeks' postpartum, the corresponding mean values were 2.60 and 2.14 (p = 0.20). This preliminary study suggests a potential different trajectory for physiologic recovery of UA flow after a pregnancy affected by placental insufficiency.