Investigating the relationship between right ventricular size and function with pre‐eclampsia: A two‐group cross‐sectional study

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Pre‐eclampsia is a multisystem disorder characterized by symptoms of high blood pressure and proteinuria during pregnancy. It is associated with many complications and maternal and fetal mortality. This disorder may be associated with many cardiovascular complications and affect the function of the heart. Therefore, in this study, the structure and function of the right ventricle (RV) in patients with pre‐eclampsia have been investigated using echocardiography. METHODS: This cross‐sectional study was conducted in Ghaem Hospital of Mashhad. Thirty‐two pregnant women, whose gestational age was 20 weeks or more, were considered as the case group after evaluating blood pressure and confirming proteinuria and pre‐eclampsia. Thirty‐two healthy pregnant women were also included in the study as a control group. The function of the RV was evaluated using two‐dimensional transthoracic echocardiography. RESULTS: Investigating the results of the study shows that in pregnant women with pre‐eclampsia, RV fractional area change, and RV strain indices have decreased significantly compared with healthy pregnant women (p < 0.05). Also, the statistical analysis shows that no significant differences were observed in the two groups in terms of echocardiographic indices E, A, É, E/É, É/Á, E/A, pulmonary artery pressure, Tricuspid Annular Plane Systolic Excursion, right ventricular diameter, and left ventricle mass index. CONCLUSION: According to the results of the study, it can be generally said that pre‐eclampsia may be associated with changes in the function and echocardiographic indices of the RV and may result in cardiac complications.