[Laser Doppler: new diagnostic possibilities in gestosis]

Area of Science:

• Obstetrics and Gynecology
• Vascular Physiology
• Medical Diagnostics

Background:

• Gestosis, characterized by hypertension in pregnancy, can lead to microcirculatory alterations.
• Assessing cutaneous circulation is crucial for understanding pregnancy-related vascular changes.
• Laser-Doppler flowmetry offers a non-invasive method to evaluate microvascular function.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the efficacy of Laser-Doppler (LD) flowmetry in diagnosing microcirculatory alterations associated with gestosis.
• To compare forearm cutaneous circulation between hypertonic and normotonic pregnant women.

Main Methods:

• Utilized the MBF3D Laser-Doppler flowmeter to measure cutaneous circulation in the forearm.
• Assessed parameters including basal and maximal erythrocyte speed and concentration, and reactive hyperemia duration.
• Compared measurements in 11 hypertonic and 14 normotonic pregnant women (26-40 weeks gestation).

Main Results:

• Hypertonic pregnant women exhibited significant reductions in basal and maximal erythrocyte speed and concentration, and reactive hyperemia duration.
• Negative correlations were observed between erythrocyte speed and blood pressure, body mass, and newborn APGAR scores.
• These findings suggest cutaneous vasoconstriction accompanying hypertension in pregnancy.

Conclusions:

• Laser-Doppler flowmetry is a promising diagnostic tool for detecting microcirculatory changes in gestosis.
• The study indicates cutaneous vasoconstriction is a feature of hypertension during pregnancy.
• Further validation of LD flowmetry in this clinical context is warranted.