Blood flow volume change during pregnancy

Most of the doppler studies of cerebral blood flow in eclampsia have used transcranial doppler (TCD) velocities. We have recently demonstrated that blood flow estimation using doppler can be erroneous by 500%, whereas color velocity imaging and quantification (CVIQ) is very accurate. 18 uncomplicated pregnancies at 32 weeks of gestational age and 32 healthy women of childbearing age were included. Blood flow volume of both common carotid arteries was measured using the Philips SD 800 and the CVIQ method. The cerebral blood flow volume in pregnancy was 668.61±163.85 ml/min and in non-pregnancy was 637.30±116.74 ml/min (p value was 0.708). Increased in cerebral blood flow by TCD has been reported to be 18% in pregnancy but there was no statistical significant increased during pregnancy shown by this more accurate study. Much of previous TCD work in eclampsia may be flawed by use of an inaccurate technique.