< Back to previous page

Project

Preeclampsia: physiological and clinical relevance of defining different subtypes. (R-4310)

Preeclampsia (PE), defined as gestation-induced hypertension with urinary protein-loss, and fetal growth restriction (FGR) are amongst the most threathening diseases of pregnancy for both mother and child. Current therapies for these diseases are aspecific, symptomatic and haven't been changed for decades now. In this project, protocols for application of new technologies as "maternal venous Doppler sonography" and "impedance cardiography" - both validated within the research group - are used to classify women with PE and/or FGR into subtypes, depending on high or low cardiac output and/or vascular tone. Group-specific therapies, aiming to reduce vascular tone +/-cardiac output or to increase cardiac output, will be added to conventional therapy. In the exploratory phase of the project, feasibility and safety of these group-specific therapies are evaluated. Following this, a randomised prospective observation is started for comparison of conventional therapies with group-specific therapies. Primary outcome measures are delay of delivery, maternal and neonatal outcome. This project may open perspectives towards rationalised adaptation and improvement of therapy for PE and/or FGR. Continuous cardiovascular monitoring of women treated for PE and/or FGR will also improve our understanding of background mechanisms behind these diseases.
Date:1 Jan 2013 →  30 Sep 2018
Keywords:preeclampsia
Disciplines:Neurosciences, Biological and physiological psychology, Cognitive science and intelligent systems, Developmental psychology and ageing