Quantitative assessment of maternal common carotid artery mechanics using velocity vector imaging in pre-eclampsia

Abstract Objective Velocity vector imaging (VVI) is widely used to quantify cardiac mechanical deformation. This study sought to determine whether VVI could be used to evaluate the stiffness of maternal peripheral arteries in women with pre-eclampsia. Study design Twenty-four women with pre-eclampsia and 34 normotensive pregnant women were recruited. Longitudinal and circumferential peak velocity, strain and strain rate of the right common carotid artery (CCA) were measured. All measurements were averaged from three consecutive cardiac cycles and expressed as mean ± standard deviation. Results Longitudinal velocity, strain and strain rate of the anterior and posterior walls of the CCA were significantly lower in women with pregnancy-induced hypertension compared with normotensive pregnant women [velocity: 0.22 ± 0.09 cm/s vs 0.29 ± 0.09 cm/s ( p p p p –1 vs 2.24 ± 1.13 s –1 ( p –1 vs 2.45 ± 0.97 s –1 ( p Conclusions Stiffness of the maternal CCA was significantly greater in women with pre-eclampsia compared with normotensive pregnant women. VVI may have potential for quantitative assessment of vascular mechanical deformation in the clinical setting.