Skin flux during reactive hyperemia and local hyperthermia in patients with preeclampsia

OBJECTIVE: To test the contribution of the endothelium to the maximum vasodilatation in patients with preeclampsia and healthy pregnant controls. METHODS: Laser-Doppler flowmetry, which is a noninvasive method for the continuous measurement of skin blood flow, was used to test the response of skin microcirculation to the above-mentioned stimuli in 14 patients with pre-eclampsia and 20 normotensive pregnant controls. RESULTS: In normotensive pregnant controls, the reactive hyperemic response after a 3-minute ischemia in the forearm reaches values of 77 +/- 16% of the maximum vasodilatation, which was induced by local hyperthermia of 42C. In patients with preclampsia, this response was significantly (P < .05) reduced (43 +/- 9%). CONCLUSION: Vascular reactivity is altered in skin vessels of patients with preeclampsia in vivo. This alteration seems to be attributable mainly to the endothelium. (C) 2001 by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.