Skin flux during reactive hyperemia and local hyperthermia in patients with preeclampsia

OBJECTIVE: To test the contribution of the endothelium to the maximum vasod ilatation in patients with preeclampsia and healthy pregnant controls. METHODS: Laser-Doppler flowmetry, which is a noninvasive method for the con tinuous measurement of skin blood flow, was used to test the response of sk in microcirculation to the above-mentioned stimuli in 14 patients with pre- eclampsia and 20 normotensive pregnant controls. RESULTS: In normotensive pregnant controls, the reactive hyperemic response after a 3-minute ischemia in the forearm reaches values of 77 +/- 16% of t he maximum vasodilatation, which was induced by local hyperthermia of 42C. In patients with preclampsia, this response was significantly (P < .05) red uced (43 +/- 9%). CONCLUSION: Vascular reactivity is altered in skin vessels of patients with preeclampsia in vivo. This alteration seems to be attributable mainly to t he endothelium. (C) 2001 by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynec ologists.