MATERNAL RENAL ARCUATE ARTERY DOPPLER WAVE-FORMS - INFLUENCE OF PREGNANCY AND LOW-DOSE ASPIRIN

Objective: To document (1) the effect of pregnancy on the pulsed Doppl er waveform of the maternal renal arcuate artery and (2) the effect of prolonged maternal intake of low-dose acetylsalicylic acid (ASA) on t his vascular bed. Methods: Sixteen normal patients were followed longi tudinally during pregnancy and at 6 weeks postpartum to determine the influence of pregnancy on this maternal vascular bed. A group of 32 pa tients on daily low-dose ASA (80 mg) from the 12th week of pregnancy u ntil term were compared with 27 normal controls. Maternal right renal arcuate artery was identified using color pulsed Doppler. Three to six cycles were studied. Analysis of variance and nonparametric statistic s were used for comparison. Results: Longitudinal measurements of righ t maternal renal arcuate artery Doppler were obtained longitudinally d uring the pregnancy and once during the postpartum period. Although we could not demonstrate differences in the Doppler parameters between t he pregnant and nonpregnant state, time velocity integral (TVI) and th e acceleration time/ejection (AC/ET) significantly correlated with adv ancing pregnancy. Only TVI significantly correlated with maternal hear t rate. Neither TVI, peak flow velocity (PFV), mean velocity, nor any of the resistance indices were different in patients taking low dose A SA from control. Conclusions: (1) Normal pregnancy does not seem to si gnificantly alter the pulsed Doppler waveform of the maternal arcuate renal artery when compared with the nonpregnant state; (2) TVI and AC/ ET of the maternal renal arcuate artery significantly correlate with a dvancing pregnancy; and (3) prolonged intake of low-dose ASA does not significantly affect the Doppler waveform of this vascular bed.