Serial estimation of flow mediated dilatation in women at risk of hypertensive disorders of pregnancy

ObjectiveTo evaluate the flow mediated vasodilatation of brachial artery in women at risk of development of pregnancy induced hypertension.MethodsWe enrolled 81 pregnant women at less than 20 weeks of gestation. Flow mediated vasodilatation (FMD) was assessed twice in pregnancy. The FMD at different gestations were compared between subjects who developed hypertension and those who did not.ResultsWe observed that FMD was significantly lower in those who developed hypertension. The test gave a sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value and negative predictive value of 88%, 93%, 84% and 94.8% respectively. When the 2nd FMD was compared with the 1st FMD the sensitivity remained the same but a declining trend was observed. Women with FMD 0-1.1-9.10-30 and > 30% were at 100, 62, 16 and 0% risk to develop hypertension.ConclusionFlow mediated vasodilatation of brachial artery when measured between 18–24 weeks is found to be a sensitive and useful early predictor of pregnancy induced hypertension.