Maternal renal artery Doppler sonographic changes in pregnancy-induced hypertension in South West Nigeria

BACKGROUND: To evaluate the renal arterial hemodynamic changes caused by pregnancy-induced hypertension using Doppler ultrasonography. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Eighty (80) subjects with pregnancy-induced hypertension (PIH) and 160 controls (80 pregnant normotensive women and 80 healthy, non-pregnant women) underwent triplex renal sonography prospectively to determine their renal volumes and right renal artery Doppler indices. RESULTS: The peak systolic velocity, end diastolic velocity, pulsatility index, systolic/diastolic ratio and acceleration time were respectively significantly higher in the PIH group (68.67 cm/s, 21.55 cm/s, 1.23, 3.38, 123.2 ms) than the pregnant, normotensive group (65.19 cm/s, 20.27 cm/s, 0.88, 3.35, 61.14 ms) and healthy, non-pregnant group (52.06 cm/s, 18.27 cm/s, 0.84, 2.90, 68.48 ms). Resistivity index was also increased in the PIH group, but this was not statistically significant. Conversely, the systolic acceleration was significantly lower in the PIH group (6.06 m/s(2)) compared to the pregnant, normotensive group (11.82 m/s(2)) and healthy, non-pregnant group (8.26 m/s(2)). The right renal volume of the PIH group (132.76 cm(3)) was significantly higher that of the pregnant, normotensive group (125.29 cm(3)) and healthy, non-pregnant group (91.66 cm(3)). The same pattern was observed in the left renal volume which was 168.78 cm(3), 164.95 cm(3) and 113.80 cm(3) in the study groups, respectively. CONCLUSION: Renal Doppler ultrasound is clinically relevant in the diagnosis and follow-up of renal complications in patients with pregnancy-induced hypertension.