Non-invasive detection of alterations of the carotid artery in pregnant women with high-frequency ultrasound

Abstract

Objective. To compare the thickness of the layers of the carotid artery wall in pregnant and fertile non-pregnant women. Design. Prospective cross-sectional study. Subjects. Fifty-one pregnant women at a mean gestational age of 38.9 weeks and 64 fertile non-pregnant women were examined at a University hospital. Methods. The three layers (adventitia, media, intima) of the superficial wall of the left common carotid artery were identified and measured with high-resolution ultrasound (22.5 MHz). Results. Pregnant women had a thinner intima layer (0.25 ± 0.07/0.29 ± 0.08 mm) and a thicker media layer (0.31 ± 0.08/0.27 ± 0.09 mm) compared with controls. A statistically significantly higher intimal/media ratio was calculated for the pregnant women (1.14 ± 0.03), compared with the non-pregnant women (0.88 ± 0.04). Conclusion. There are differences in the thickness of the histological layers of the carotid artery wall in pregnant compared with non-pregnant women. This is likely to be due to the effect of different estradiol levels in these two groups.