Objective:To investigate the clinical value of tissue Doppler echocardiography in the evaluation of left ventricular function in patients with pregnancy-induced hypertension.Methods:This is a case-control study, including 100 patients with pregnancy-induced hypertension who received treatment at the Wenzhou Hospital of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine from May 2019 to May 2022, and an additional 100 healthy pregnant women who underwent physical examination during the same period. All participants underwent two-dimensional echocardiography, pulsed Doppler echocardiography, and tissue Doppler echocardiography. Ultrasound parameters related to left ventricular morphology and function were collected from all participants. The ultrasound parameters related to left ventricular morphology and function between patients with different types of pregnancy-induced hypertension and healthy controls were compared. The correlation between left ventricular function ultrasound parameters and serum N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) levels was investigated.Results:Patients with pregnancy-induced hypertension, patients with mild preeclampsia, patients with severe preeclampsia, and healthy controls demonstrated differences in interventricular septum thickness during diastole [(10.24 ± 1.18) mm, (11.39 ± 1.24) mm, (11.57 ± 1.29) mm, (8.81 ± 0.95) mm], left ventricular end-diastolic diameter [(47.31 ± 2.81) mm, (49.82 ± 2.89) mm, (52.03 ± 2.94) mm, (46.82 ± 2.76) mm], left ventricular posterior wall thickness [(9.73 ± 1.06) mm, (10.62 ± 1.13) mm, (11.75 ± 1.21) mm, (8.96 ± 0.97) mm], left ventricular inner diameter [(32.82 ± 2.34) mm, (35.48 ± 2.39) mm, (36.04 ± 2.45) mm, (30.41 ± 2.27) mm], and left ventricular mass index [(98.41 ± 7.83) g/m 2, (105.73 ± 8.26) g/m 2, (108.63 ± 8.57) g/m 2, (96.59 ± 7.69) g/m 2]. All of these parameters showed significant differences between patients with different types of pregnancy-induced hypertension and healthy controls ( F = 13.47, 12.61, 16.59, 13.26, 19.73, all P < 0.001). Significant differences were also observed in echocardiographic indices of left ventricular function such as peak velocity ratio of E and A waves, systolic motor amplitude, early peak diastolic velocity to late peak diastolic velocity, and Tei index between patients with different types of pregnancy-induced hypertension and healthy controls ( F = 12.84, 11.27, 14.64, 21.43, all P < 0.001). In patients with pregnancy-induced hypertension, peak velocity ratio of E and A waves, systolic motor amplitude, and early peak diastolic velocity to late peak diastolic velocity were moderately negatively correlated with serum NT-proBNP level ( r = -0.56, -0.43, -0.54, P = 0.029, 0.042, 0.031), while Tei index showed a positive correlation with serum NT-proBNP level ( r = 0.77; P = 0.003). Conclusion:Two-dimensional echocardiography, pulsed Doppler echocardiography combined with tissue Doppler echocardiography can be used to effectively evaluate the changes in left ventricular structure and function in patients with different types of pregnancy-induced hypertension. Monitoring the Tei index using tissue Doppler echocardiography can accurately reflect myocardial injury and functional changes, which has a great clinical application value.

Objective:To investigate the clinical value of endometrial receptivity determination by transvaginal three-dimensional power ultrasound in the prediction of pregnancy outcome after in vitro fertilization and embryo transfer. Methods:A total of 220 infertile patients who underwent in vitro fertilization and embryo transfer in Wenzhou Hospital of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine from July 2018 to July 2021 were included in this study. Before in vitro fertilization and embryo transfer, all patients were tested for endometrial receptivity by transvaginal two-dimensional and three-dimensional power ultrasound. Pregnancy outcomes were followed up. Anatomical indexes (endometrial thickness, endometrial volume, and endometrial morphology) and endometrial blood flow indexes [endometrial blood flow type, pulsation index, resistance index (RI), ratio of peak systolic velocity to end-diastolic velocity (S/D), vascularization index (Vl), blood flow index (FI) and vascular blood flow index (VFI)] were compared between different pregnancy outcomes. Results:There were no significant differences in endometrial thickness, endometrial volume, and endometrial morphology between successful pregnancy and failed pregnancy groups ( t or χ2 = 0.23-0.54, P = 0.523-0.890). There was no significant difference in endometrial blood flow typing between successful pregnancy and failed pregnancy groups ( χ2 = 0.217, P = 0.897). PI, RI, and S/D in the successful pregnancy group were (2.46 ± 0.29), (1.07 ± 0.21), and (0.57 ± 0.10), respectively, which were significantly lower than (2.71 ± 0.34), (1.35 ± 0.24), and (0.66 ± 0.11) in the failed pregnancy group ( t = 4.51, 5.27, 3.43, all P < 0.001). VI, FI, and VFI values in the successful pregnancy group were (23.04 ± 2.95), (32.26 ± 3.17), and (6.59 ± 0.94) respectively, which were significantly higher than (16.85 ± 2.17), (28.42 ± 3.04), and (4.88 ± 0.86) in the failed pregnancy group ( t = 10.94, 6.25, 8.37; all P < 0.001). Conclusion:Endometrial blood flow parameters such as PI, RI, S/D, VI, FI, and VFI determined by transvaginal three-dimensional power ultrasound have a certain predictive value for pregnancy outcomes after in vitro fertilization and embryo transfer. They can be used as sensitive indexes for evaluating endometrial receptivity.