Related Experiment Video
Updated: Oct 6, 2026

Assessment of Maternal Vascular Remodeling During Pregnancy in the Mouse Uterus
Published on: December 5, 2015
Pregnancy-associated cardiac remodeling: from physiological adaptation to long-term cardiovascular risk
Seda Tanyeri Uzel1, Barkin Kültürsay2, Murat Karacam3
1Cardiology Department, Kartal Kosuyolu High Specialization Education and Research Hospital, Istanbul, Turkey.
Introduction:
Pregnancy imposes a sustained hemodynamic load that can unmask latent cardiovascular vulnerability, yet distinguishing physiological adaptation from early maladaptive remodeling remains difficult with conventional echocardiography.
Areas Covered:
This special report reviews trimester-specific cardiac adaptation, myocardial deformation imaging, right ventricular-pulmonary arterial coupling, postpartum reverse remodeling, and the maladaptive phenotypes of preeclampsia, gestational diabetes, and peripartum cardiomyopathy. It also covers circulating biomarkers and the risk framework of the 2025 European Society of Cardiology guidelines, including the modified World Health Organization 2.0 classification and the Pregnancy Heart Team. PubMed/MEDLINE, Scopus, and Web of Science were searched for articles published between January 2000 and March 2026.
Expert Opinion:
Strain imaging and biomarkers can detect subclinical dysfunction that ejection fraction misses, but pregnancy- and ethnicity-specific reference values and outcome data are lacking. Until these are available, such tools should be used selectively, serially, and in combination within Pregnancy Heart Team pathways that extend well beyond delivery.
Related Concept Videos
Cardiomyopathy III: Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy
Heart Failure II: Pathophysiology
Cellular Adaptation II: Hypertrophy
Pathophysiology of Heart Failure
Cardiomyopathy V: Interprofessional Care
Cardiomyopathy IV: Restrictive Cardiomyopathy

