Reply to: Changes in total uterine blood flow do not always reflectchanges in maternal placental blood flow

Abstract

Reply To the Editors:We wish to thank Binder and Laird for their interest in and scrutiny of our work. Their observations underscore the importance of terminology and technique in reference to uteroplacental hemodynamics.In spite of our best efforts, we still erroneously referred to the work of Greiss as demonstrating that placental blood flow is pressure dependent. More correctly stated, his work suggests that uteroplacental blood flow is pressure dependent. In our own terminology his study suggests that combined myoendometrial and placental blood flow are pressure dependent. The true pressure-flow relationships of the placental vascular bed have yet to be delineated.Additionally, Binder and Laird highlight the disadvantage of using electromagnetic flow sensors in studies aimed at differentiating myoendometrial from placental hemodynamics. This shortcoming demonstrates the clear advantage of using a technique such as microspheres rather than the flow sensor.We eagerly anticipate future work studying the differential effects of vasoactive substances on myoendometrial and placental hemodynamics. The recent advent of the colored microsphere technique should broaden the feasibility of this research to other investigators by eliminating the limitations of using radioactive materials. Reply To the Editors:We wish to thank Binder and Laird for their interest in and scrutiny of our work. Their observations underscore the importance of terminology and technique in reference to uteroplacental hemodynamics.In spite of our best efforts, we still erroneously referred to the work of Greiss as demonstrating that placental blood flow is pressure dependent. More correctly stated, his work suggests that uteroplacental blood flow is pressure dependent. In our own terminology his study suggests that combined myoendometrial and placental blood flow are pressure dependent. The true pressure-flow relationships of the placental vascular bed have yet to be delineated.Additionally, Binder and Laird highlight the disadvantage of using electromagnetic flow sensors in studies aimed at differentiating myoendometrial from placental hemodynamics. This shortcoming demonstrates the clear advantage of using a technique such as microspheres rather than the flow sensor.We eagerly anticipate future work studying the differential effects of vasoactive substances on myoendometrial and placental hemodynamics. The recent advent of the colored microsphere technique should broaden the feasibility of this research to other investigators by eliminating the limitations of using radioactive materials. We wish to thank Binder and Laird for their interest in and scrutiny of our work. Their observations underscore the importance of terminology and technique in reference to uteroplacental hemodynamics. In spite of our best efforts, we still erroneously referred to the work of Greiss as demonstrating that placental blood flow is pressure dependent. More correctly stated, his work suggests that uteroplacental blood flow is pressure dependent. In our own terminology his study suggests that combined myoendometrial and placental blood flow are pressure dependent. The true pressure-flow relationships of the placental vascular bed have yet to be delineated. Additionally, Binder and Laird highlight the disadvantage of using electromagnetic flow sensors in studies aimed at differentiating myoendometrial from placental hemodynamics. This shortcoming demonstrates the clear advantage of using a technique such as microspheres rather than the flow sensor. We eagerly anticipate future work studying the differential effects of vasoactive substances on myoendometrial and placental hemodynamics. The recent advent of the colored microsphere technique should broaden the feasibility of this research to other investigators by eliminating the limitations of using radioactive materials.