Pre-eclampsia. II: Investigative procedures.

Pre-eclampsia is a potential hazard to both mother and fetus. Clinical features alone give a poor indication of the significance or severity of the condition. Investigations which indicate the extent of multisystem maternal changes help to distinguish pre-eclampsia from other hypertensive disorders and help to assess the need for, and timing of intervention. Serial assessments of sensitive indicators such as proteinuria, platelet counts and serum urate are more helpful than single measurements. Full ultrasound biophysical profiles of the fetus are desirable in the presence of severe pre-eclampsia, but when this sophisticated examination is not available much can be learned from ultrasound estimates of fetal growth, liquor volume and from cardiotocography.