[Doppler ultrasound studies before and following short-term maternal stress in late pregnancy].

Ten gravidae with normal course of pregnancy in the third trimester underwent a bicycle stress test (semi-supine, 75 W, 3 min). By means of pulsed Doppler sonography, a lowering of the resistance index (RI) in the maternal femoral artery from 93% to 69% was ascertained, though also a rise in maximum systolic velocity (VMAX (syst)) from 73 cm/sec to 194 cm/sec, in maximum diastolic velocity (VMAX diast)) from 5 cm/sec to 61 cm/sec, and in the time-averaged maximum velocity (TAVMAX) from 20 cm/sec to 101 cm/sec. These changes are statistically significant. In the maternal common carotid artery these parameters remained stable or changed little, for example VMAX (diast), which dropped from 24 cm/sec before to 19 cm/sec after exercise, and the RI, which rose from 77% to 84%. Neither in the uteroplacental vessels nor in the umbilical artery were any changes in the RI found (40% to 42% and 58% to 57%, respectively). The fetal cardiotachograms were normal in all cases, while not all cases manifested a rise in fetal heart rate following maternal stress. These results indicate that uteroplacental perfusion and the umbilical circulation remain constant. Doppler sonography thus demonstrates directly and noninvasively that provided placental function is normal the uteroplacental and fetoplacental circulation are not influenced by moderate physical exertion.