Intra-abdominal pressure measurements in term pregnancy and postpartum: an observational study.

Objective: To determine intra-abdominal pressure (IAP) and to evaluate the reproducibility of IAP-measurements using the Foley Manometer Low Volume (FMLV) in term uncomplicated pregnancies before and after caesarean section (CS), relative to two different reference points and to non-pregnant values.

Design: Observational cohort study.

Setting: Secondary level referral center for feto-maternal medicine.

Improving the reliability of venous Doppler flow measurements: relevance of combined ECG, training and repeated measures.

The nature of venous Doppler waves is highly variable. An additional electrocardiogram (ECG) improves the interpretation of venous Doppler wave characteristics and allows measurement of venous pulse transit time. The purpose of this study was to assess the reproducibility of ECG-guided repeated measurements of venous Doppler flow characteristics before and after sonographer training and the inter- and intra-observer variability.