Pregnancy Complications Lead to Subclinical Maternal Heart Dysfunction—The Importance and Benefits of Follow-Up Using Speckle Tracking Echocardiography

Autor: Mihaela Roxana Popescu, Alexandra Bouariu, Anca Marina Ciobanu, Nicolae Gică, Anca Maria Panaitescu
Jazyk: angličtina
Rok vydání: 2022
Předmět:
Zdroj: Medicina, Vol 58, Iss 2, p 296 (2022)
Druh dokumentu: article
ISSN: 1648-9144
1010-660X
DOI: 10.3390/medicina58020296
Popis: Pregnancy complications such as gestational diabetes (GDM) and hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (HDP) are frequent and influence not only fetal outcomes but also the maternal cardiac function. GDM and HDP may act as a proxy for increased metabolic and cardiovascular risk later in life. Speckle tracking echocardiography (STE) is a relatively new imaging technique that provides more sensitive assessment than conventional echocardiography of the maternal cardiac function. Recent research suggests that STE can be used during pregnancy and postpartum as a useful method of early detection of subclinical maternal cardiac changes related to pregnancy complications, such as GDM and HDP, and as an indicator for future maternal cardiovascular disorders. The aim of this review was to underline the current value of STE in the follow-up protocol of high-risk pregnant women, as a mean for pre- and postpartum monitoring. A review of the literature was conducted in the PubMed database to select relevant articles regarding the association of STE changes and HDP or GDM in the prenatal and postpartum maternal evaluations. Both GDM and HDP are associated with subtle myocardial changes in shape, size and function; these preclinical cardiac changes, often missed by conventional evaluation, can be detected using STE. Left ventricular global circumferential strain might be an important predictor of maternal cardiovascular disorders and might help to define a high-risk group that requires regular monitoring later in life and timely intervention.
Databáze: Directory of Open Access Journals
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