Semin Thromb Hemost 2003; 29(2): 213-218
DOI: 10.1055/s-2003-38837
Copyright © 2003 by Thieme Medical Publishers, Inc., 333 Seventh Avenue, New York, NY 10001, USA. Tel.: +1(212) 584-4662

Assessment of Uterine Placental Circulation in Thrombophilic Women

Zeev Weiner1 , Johnny S. Younis2 , Zeev Blumenfeld3 , Eliezer Shalev1
  • 1Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Haemek Medical Center, Afula, Israel
  • 2Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Porya Medical Center, Afula, Israel
  • 3Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Rambam Medical Center, Haifa, Israel
Weitere Informationen

Publikationsverlauf

Publikationsdatum:
23. April 2003 (online)

ABSTRACT

Thrombophilia is associated with several complications of pregnancy including first and second trimester fetal loss, intrauterine fetal death, intrauterine growth restriction, preeclampsia, and placental abruption. Few studies have documented thrombotic lesions observed on the pathologic examination of the placenta in women with severe pregnancy complications. Moreover, a significantly higher rate of factor V Leiden and prothrombin G20210A gene mutations have been found in placentas with thrombotic events compared with normal placentas. In addition, clinical studies have been performed, using Doppler ultrasonography, to assess the uterine placental circulation in women with thrombophilia. Doppler studies of the umbilical artery in cases of intrauterine growth retardation have shown a high systolic to diastolic ratio (S/D) ratio, suggesting an increase in the resistance of the placental small vessels. When these placental vessels were examined after delivery, significant differences were found in comparison with placental vessels of normal pregnancies. Most of the Doppler studies of the umbilical and uterine arteries in pregnancies with thrombophilia were performed in women with antiphospholipid antibodies. The other pathologic conditions associated with thrombophilia and complications of pregnancy were published only recently. These few studies have demonstrated abnormal umbilical and uterine arteries blood flow in complicated pregnancies. Finally, few Doppler studies also suggest improved uterine placental circulation when women with thrombophilia received thromboprophylaxis.

REFERENCES

  • 1 Sibai B M. Thrombophilias and adverse outcomes of pregnancy-what should a clinician do?.  N Engl J Med . 1999;  340 50-52
  • 2 Kupferminc M J, Eldor A, Steinman N. et al . Increased frequency of genetic thrombophilia in women with complications of pregnancy.  N Engl J Med . 1999;  340 9-13
  • 3 Brenner B, Sarig G, Weiner Z. et al . Thrombophilic polymorphisms are common in women with fetal loss without apparent cause.  Thromb Haemost . 1999;  82 6-9
  • 4 Younis J S, Brenner B, Ohel G. et al . Activated protein C resistance and factor V Leiden can be associated with first-trimester as well as second-trimester recurrent pregnancy loss.  Am J Reprod Immunol . 2000;  43 31-35
  • 5 Rothbart H, Ohel G, Younis J, Lanir N, Brenner B. High prevalence of activated protein C resistance due to factor V Leiden mutation in cases of intrauterine fetal death.  J Matern Fetal Med . 1999;  8 228-230
  • 6 Khong T, de Wolf F, Robertson W B, Bronsens I. Inadequate maternal vascular response to placentation in pregnancies complicated by pre-eclampsia and by small for gestational age infants.  Br J Obstet Gynaecol . 1986;  93 1049-1059
  • 7 Dizon-Townson D S, Nelson L M, Easton K, Ward K. The factor V Leiden mutation may predispose women to severe preeclampsia.  Am J Obstet Gynecol . 1996;  175 902-905
  • 8 Lindoff C, Ingemarsson I, Matinson G. et al . Preeclampsia is associated with a reduced response to activated protein C.  Am J Obstet Gynecol . 1997;  176 457-460
  • 9 Grandone E, Margaglione M, Colaizzo D. et al . Factor V Leiden, C>T MTHFR polymorphism and genetic susceptibility to preeclampsia.  Thromb Haemost . 1997;  77 1052-1054
  • 10 Nagy B, Toth T, Rigo Jr J. et al . Detection of factor V Leiden mutation in severe pre-eclamptic Hungarian women.  Clin Gent . 1998;  53 478-481
  • 11 Dekker G A, de Vries I P J, Doelitzsch P M. et al . Underlying disorders associated with severe early-onset preeclampsia.  Am J Obstet Gynecol . 1996;  173 1042-1048
  • 12 Wiener-Megnagi Z, Ben-Shlomo I, Goldberg Y, Shalev E. Resistance to activated protein C and the Leiden mutation.  J Obstet Gynecol . 1998;  179 1565-1567
  • 13 Goddijn-Wessel T A, Wouters M G, van der Molen F E. et al . Hyper-homocysteinemia: a risk factor for placental abruption or infarction.  Eur J Obstet Gynecol Reprod Biol . 1996;  66 23-29
  • 14 Arias F, Romero R, Joist H, Kraus F T. Thrombophilia: a mechanism of disease in women with adverse pregnancy outcome and thrombotic lesions in the placenta.  J Matern Fetal Med . 1998;  7 277-286
  • 15 Dizon-Townson D S, Meline L, Nelson L M, Varner M, Ward K. Fetal carriers of the factor V Leiden mutation are prone to miscarriage and placental infarction.  Am J Obstet Gynecol . 1997;  177 402-405
  • 16 Vern T Z, Alles A J, Kowal-Vern A, Longtine J, Roberts D J. Frequency of factor V (Leiden) and prothrombin G20210A in placentas and their relationship with placental lesions.  Hum Pathol . 2000;  31 1036-1043
  • 17 Mousa H A, Alfirevici Z. Do placental lesions reflect thrombophilia state in women with adverse pregnancy outcome?.  Hum Reprod . 2000;  15 1830-1833
  • 18 Brosens I, Robertson W B, Dixon H G. The physiological response of the vessels of the placental bed to normal pregnancy.  J Pathol Bacteriol . 1967;  93 569-579
  • 19 Brosens I A. Morphological changes in the uteroplacental bed in pregnancy hypertension.  Clin Obstet Gynecol . 1977;  4 573-593
  • 20 Schulman H, Weiner Z. Doppler ultrasound in pregnancy. In: Burns P, Taylor G, eds. Clinical Application of Doppler Ultrasound, 2nd ed New York: Raven Press; 1995
  • 21 Jaffe R, Jauniaux E, Hustin J. Maternal circulation in the first-trimester human placenta. Myth or reality?.  Am J Obstet Gynecol . 1997;  176 695-705
  • 22 Jauniaux E, Jurkovic D, Campbell S. In vivo investigation of the placental circulation by Doppler echography.  Placenta . 1995;  16 323-331
  • 23 Jauniaux E, Jurkovic D, Campbell S, Kurjak A, Hustin J. Investigation of placental circulations by color Doppler ultrasound.  Am J Obstet Gynecol . 1991;  164 486-488
  • 24 McCowan M L, Ritchie K, Mo L Y, Bascom P A, Sherret H. Uterine artery flow velocity waveforms in normal and growth-retarded pregnancies.  Am J Obstet Gynecol . 1988;  158 499-504
  • 25 Trudinger B J, Giles W B. Clinical and pathological correlations of umbilical and uterine artery waveforms.  Clin Obstet Gynecol . 1989;  32 669-678
  • 26 Harrington K, Cooper D, Lees C, Hecher K, Campbell S. Doppler ultrasound of the uterine arteries: the importance of bilateral notching in the prediction of pre-eclampsia, placental abruption or delivery of a small-for-gestational-age baby.  Ultrasound Obstet Gynecol . 1996;  7 182-188
  • 27 Bower S, Schuchter K, Campbell S. Doppler ultrasound screening as part of routine antenatal scanning: prediction of pre-eclampsia and intrauterine growth retardation.  Br J Obstet Gynecol . 1993;  100 989-994
  • 28 Fleischer A, Schulman H, Farmakides G, Bracero L. Umbilical velocity waveforms in intrauterine growth retardation.  Am J Obstet Gynecol . 1985;  151 502-505
  • 29 Rochelson B R, Schulman H, Fleischer A. et al . The clinical significance of Doppler umbilical artery velocimetry in the small for gestational age fetus.  Am J Obstet Gynecol . 1987;  156 1223-1226
  • 30 Giles W B, Trudinger B J, Baired P. Fetal umbilical artery flow velocity waveforms and placental resistance: pathological correlation.  Br J Obstet Gynecol . 1985;  92 31-38
  • 31 Fox H. Pathology of the placenta. In: Bennington JL, ed. Major Problems in Pathology London: Saunders 1978: 101-128
  • 32 McCowan L M, Mullen B M, Ritchie K. Umbilical artery flow velocity waveforms in the placental vascular bed.  Am J Obstet Gynecol . 1987;  157 900-906
  • 33 Donohoe S, Geary M, Kingdom J C. et al . Maternal cardiolipin, beta 2-glycoprotein-I and prothrombin antibody expression in high-risk pregnancies with bilateral abnormal uterine Doppler waveforms.  Ultrasound Obstet Gynecol . 1999;  13 317-322
  • 34 Cruso A, De-Carolis S, Ferrazzani S, Valesini G, Caforio L, Mancuso S. Pregnancy outcome in relation to uterine artery flow velocity waveforms and clinical characteristics in women with antiphospholipid syndrome.  Obstet Gynecol . 1993;  82 970-977
  • 35 Kerslake S, Morton K E, Versi E. et al . Early Doppler studies in lupus pregnancy.  Am J Reprod Immunol . 1992;  28 172-175
  • 36 Blumenfeld Z, Weiner Z, Lorber M, Sujov P, Thaler I. Anticardiolipin antibodies in patients with recurrent pregnancy wastage: treatment and uterine blood flow.  Obstet Gynecol . 1991;  78 584-589
  • 37 Younis J S, Ohel G, Brenner B. et al . The effect of thrombophylaxis on pregnancy outcome in patients with recurrent pregnancy loss associated with factor V Leiden mutation.  Br J Obstet Gynaecol . 2000;  107 415-419