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OBJECTIVE: The purpose of the current investigation was to ascertain whether derangements in
umbilical venous pressure and plasma colloid osmotic pressure are involved in the
pathophysiologic condition of immune hydrops fetalis.
STUDY DESIGN: Umbilical venous pressure (corrected for ambient amniotic fluid pressure) and colloid
osmotic pressure were measured during intravascular transfusion. Fetal hydrops was
defined as the presence of ascites by ultrasonography. The Mann-Whitney test was used
for comparison of groups; a value of p < 0.05 was considered statistically significant.
RESULTS: Fifteen hydropic fetuses were matched for gestational age with 15 nonhydropic fetuses
also undergoing intrauterine transfusion for anemia. On comparison with their nonhydropic
counterparts, hydropic fetuses had a statistically lower colloid osmotic pressure.
Umbilical venous pressure was higher and the colloid osmotic pressure – umbilical
venous pressure gradient was lower in association with fetal hydrops although these
differences did not achieve statistical significance.
CONCLUSION: Mild abnormalities of intravascular Starling forces may play a role in the formation
of hydrops in anemic fetuses. (Am J Obstet Gynecol 1992;167:907–12.)
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Article Info
Footnotes
Presented at the Twelfth Annual Meeting of the Society of Perinatal Obstetricians, Orlando, Florida, February 3–8, 1992.
Identification
Copyright
© 1992 Mosby. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
