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Wiley InterScience | ||||||||
  BJOG: An International Journal of Obstetrics & GynaecologyVolume 103 Issue 6, Pages 523 - 528 Published Online: 19 Aug 2005 Journal compilation © 2010 RCOG Published on behalf of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists
Abstract | References | Full Text: HTML, PDF (Size: 585K) | Related Articles | Citation Tracking  Cardiac abnormalities in pulmonary oedema associated with hypertensive crises in pregnancy Copyright RCOG 1996 British Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology ABSTRACTObjective To describe the cardiac abnormalities by two-dimensional and Doppler echo-cardiography (echo-Doppler) in hypertensive crises in pregnancy (HCP) complicated by pulmonary oedema and identify pathogenic factors. Design A prospective observational study. Setting King Edward VIII Hospital, Durban, South Africa. Participants Sixteen patients with HCP complicated by pulmonary oedema over a six-month period. Two control groups, 55 patients with HCP alone and 16 with normotensive pregnancies, were also studied. Results Echocardiography diagnosed impaired left ventricular systolic function in 4 of 16 (25 %) patients with HCP and pulmonary oedema. In the remaining 12 patients with preserved systolic function, left ventricular diastolic filling abnormalities were demonstrated in a significant proportion compared to control hypertensive and normotensive groups. Fifteen of 16 (94%) study patients presented with pulmonary oedema antepartum; in seven of these patients, the use of dexamethasone to enhance fetal lung maturity appeared to be a contributing factor in precipitating pulmonary oedema. Conclusion This study demonstrates the value of echo-Doppler to diagnose structural and functional cardiac abnormalities in HCP complicated by pulmonary oedema. The potential role of left ventricular diastolic filling abnormalities in the pathogenesis of pulmonary oedema complicating HCP is discussed. Received 6 March 1995 Returned for Revision 20 July 1995 Revised Manuscript Received 20 September 1995 Accepted 23 October 1995 | 
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