Cardiac structure and function, and ventricular-arterial interaction 11 years following a pregnancy with preeclampsia

• Preeclampsia is associated with high blood pressure and left ventricular dysfunction.
• We found normal cardiac chamber dimensions and function 11 years after preeclampsia.
• In addition, arterial stiffness and ventricular-arterial coupling indices were normal.
• Thus, there is no remaining cardiac remodeling 11 years after preeclampsia.
• Other factors may account for an increased cardiovascular risk after preeclampsia.

Preeclampsia (PE) is associated with acute left ventricular dysfunction. Whether these changes eventually resolve remains unclear. This study assessed left and right ventricular structure and function, and ventricular-arterial interaction in 15 women 11 years after a pregnancy with PE and 16 matched control subjects with a normal pregnancy. We found normal left and right ventricular dimensions, systolic function, and global left ventricular strain, with no differences between the groups. In addition, indices of diastolic function, left and right atrial size, and amino-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide were normal and did not differ between the groups. Women with a previous PE had impaired night/day ratios for systolic and diastolic ambulatory blood pressure. However, indices of aortic stiffness or ventricular-arterial coupling did not differ between the groups. In conclusion, we could not demonstrate remaining alterations in systolic or diastolic left or right ventricular function, or in ventricular-arterial interaction in women 11 years after PE.