[Pathologic Doppler flowmetry of the uterine artery and histologic changes of the placenta].

The usefulness of velocimetric study of the uterine arteries during high-risk pregnancies and in particular in the presence of presumed or confirmed maternal pathology is now recognized. Is it possible to identify a link between hemodynamic disturbances affecting the uterine arteries and histological abnormalities of the placenta? This was the aim of the present study. Histological examination of the placenta was routinely requested after delivery when uterine artery Doppler had been pathological during pregnancy (index and/or notch). Fifty five placentas were studied, all but one being pathological. This essentially involved ischemic lesions (including retroplacental hematomas), for which Doppler investigation appears to be a good indicator. Forty placentas were hypotrophic and 2 hypertrophic. Thus uterine artery Doppler during pregnancy appears to accurately reflect the histological state of the placenta and possibly even its functional value.