Die Sonographie als Screening-Untersuchungsmethode des Venensystems in der Schwangerschaft - Vergleichende Untersuchungen am Arm- und Beinvenensystem

: Comparative studies were conducted during the third trimenon of pregnancy between the 36th and 40th weeks of gestation and on the seventh day after delivery, at the venous system of the legs (vena iliaca, v. femoralis and v. poplitea) and at the venous system of the arms (v. brachialis). A marked reduction of the venous diameters was seen on the legs, whereas no difference was found in the venous system of the arms between both times of measurement. This points to the haemodynamic effect of the pregnant uterus, providing an obstacle to the flow of blood from the venous system of the legs. After delivery there is a relatively higher extensibility of the veins of the leg compared with the measurements in the third trimenon. This may be due on the one hand to the long-lasting overextension during pregnancy, and on the other hand also to the hormonal and enzymochemical changes that take place even during the puerperium. Doppler sonography of the v. femoralis showed clearly that the foetus obstructs blood flow from the venous system of the legs. Sonography seems to be able to visualise direct the changed morphology of the veins during pregnancy and to indirectly yield information on the extensibility of the venous system eg during standing, thus demonstrating in what way the venous system functions in a particular condition. Hence, sonography of the venous system of the legs during pregnancy should be used as a screening method wherever it is essential to discover extreme venous dilatations well in time and to initiate compression treatment.