P91The influence of maternal exercise on placental blood flow measured by simultaneous multigate spectral Doppler imaging (SM‐SDI)

Abstract

ObjectiveTo evaluate the effect of maternal isometric exercise on the placental blood flow as reflected by the velocimetric indices PI and RI derived from placental arteries.SubjectsThirty‐four healthy women with normal singleton pregnancies between 22 and 35 weeks of gestation.MethodsAll subjects underwent an isometric handgrip exercise test. Maternal blood pressure and heart rate together with placental PI and RI were measured at rest, during the exercise and in the postexercise recovery phase. All Doppler measurements were obtained using the Simultaneous Multigate Spectral Doppler Imaging (SM‐SDI) technique, a new ultrasound modality that enables a Doppler study of multiple locations to take place within a very short time.ResultsThere was a significant increase in the mean values of the maternal blood pressure and heart rate during the exercise, and a significant decline in the recovery phase. There was no significant change in the mean value of the Doppler indices throughout the examination.ConclusionMaternal isometric exercise of a similar degree of effort does not affect the impedance of the placental circulation.