The association between increased mean arterial pressure and abnormal uterine artery resistance to blood flow during pregnancy.

Objective: To examine the relation between increased mean arterial pressure (MAP) and the uterine artery resistance index (RI) to blood flow in the third trimester of pregnancy.

Methods: One hundred consecutive patients in the third trimester whose pregnancies were complicated by hypertensive disorders, with or without proteinuria, had uterine artery resistance to blood flow measured using continuous-wave Doppler.

Results: The RI was in the normal range in 20 patients.