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Project

Maternal venous adaptation mechanisms in normal and pre-eclamptic pregnancies. (R-2379)

In this project the physiology of the veins in pregnant women will be studied by means of safe and non-invasive techniques. My hypothesis is that this knowledge is helpful in the study of severe pregnancy disorders such as pre-eclampsia. My research group already reported pregnancy-induced changes in the veins of organs which often become damaged in pre-eclampsia, i.e. the kidneys and liver. These changes resemble known gestational evolutions of cardiovascular parameters. Observed differences between normal and pre-eclamptic pregnancies suggest cardiovascular maladaptation mechanisms as significant actors in this disorder. These associations will be studied in detail. The time-interval between maternal ECG and Doppler flow will be analysed throughout normal pregnancy and in pre-eclampsia, in relation to other cardiovascular parameters (study A). The link between this time-interval and changes of plasma volume, stroke volume, cardiac output and vascular resistance will be explored in study B. The degree of changing vascularization in liver and kidneys during pregnancy will be quantified (study C). Pilot study D will be started to evaluate whether this information can be used for prediction of pre-eclampsia in the preclinical stage. These results will contribute to a better understanding of the maternal vascular physiology during normal and pathological pregnancies.
Date:1 Oct 2010 →  30 Sep 2012
Keywords:pre-eclampsia, Pregnancy, TISSUE CULTURE
Disciplines:Basic sciences, Clinical sciences, Translational sciences, Psychology and cognitive sciences