Preliminary Doppler studies on the uterine artery and myometrium in trophoblastic tumours requiring chemotherapy

Abstract

The uterine circulation in 38 patients with invasive mole or choriocarcinoma were investigated using Doppler ultrasound. Twenty-six non-pregnant and 23 pregnant volunteers were assessed in a similar fashion to act as control groups. The pulsatility indices were significantly lower in the patients with trophoblastic disease when compared with the non-pregnant and pregnant groups (Student's t-test; P less than 0.001 and P less than 0.02 respectively). The uterine circulation in persistent trophoblastic diseases shows a characteristic Doppler profile suggesting the presence of large low resistance blood vessels. This may be useful in the initial assessment of these tumours before cytotoxic chemotherapy.