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Noninvasive test of microvascular endothelial function in normal and hypertensive pregnancies
E Eneroth-Grimfors1, L E Lindblad, M Westgren
1Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Södersjukhuset, Stockholm, Sweden.
Objective:
To examine microvascular endothelial cell function in vivo in pre-eclampsia.
Design:
Iontophoresis of acetylcholine (Ach), which gives rise to endothelial cell dependent vasodilatation, and of sodium nitroprusside (SNP), which elicits vasodilatation independently of functioning vascular endothelium.
Setting:
Södersjukhuset, Stockholm, Sweden.
Subjects:
Ten pre-eclamptic patients, ten healthy pregnant women and ten healthy nonpregnant women were examined.
Main Outcome Measures:
The degree of vasodilatation following iontophoretic administration of Ach compared with SNP was recorded with a laser Doppler technique, the data being analysed on a personal computer.
Results:
Both Ach and SNP administration resulted in marked vasodilatation; the magnitude of the vasodilatation was similar in the three groups of women.
Conclusion:
Following iontophoretic administration of endothelial cell dependent or independent vasodilatators, laser Doppler measurement of blood flow demonstrated no microvascular endothelial cell dysfunction in pre-eclamptic women.