PURPOSE: to evaluate the repercussion of portal hypertension in the indexes of the ovarian, uterine and luteus body periphery arterial resistance, at the medium luteal phase of the menstrual cycle. METHODS: in an observational study with transversal cohort, 28 patients with hepatosplenic schistosomiasis mansoni, submitted to splenectomy and ligation of the left gastric vein (HESO), a similar group of 28 patients who had not had the surgery (HESNO) and 29 healthy volunteers (HV) were submitted to Doppler fluxmetry in the medium luteal phase of the menstrual cycle. Pourcelot's resistance index has been used as RI=[(S-D)/S], in which S means the highest systolic speed, and D, the end of diastole. The best record in the ascendant branch of the uterine artery, in the ovarian artery, when accessible, or in the intraovarian artery, was chosen. When the luteus body was present, the RI was measured in its periphery. The data obtained were analyzed by Kruskal-Wallis and Mann-Whitney tests. RESULTS: there was no significant difference among the groups, concerning the mean RI of the ovarian arteries (Kruskal-Wallis, p=0.50). There was a tendency for higher right uterine artery RI in the HESNO group (Kruskal-Wallis, p<0.07), but it was similar in the left uterine artery (Kruskal-Wallis, p=0.14). Arterial RIs significantly lower have been observed in the luteus body periphery, when compared to the contralateral ovarian arteries in all the groups (Mann-Whitney, p<0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: there was no difference among the groups, regarding the ovarian and uterine RIs. The portal hypertension in patients with hepatosplenic schistosomiasis does not affect the natural phenomenon of arterial RI decrease in the ovary where ovulation occurs.
Arteries; Schistosoma mansoni, Ultrasonography, doppler, color; Menstrual cycle, Luteal phase; Regional blood flow; Corpus luteum; Vascular resistance
