Evidence map›Paper›PMID 31959152›Full record

ArticleBMC pregnancy and childbirth2020

Uterine and placental blood flow indexes and antinuclear autoantibodies in unexplained recurrent pregnancy loss: should they be investigated in pregnancy as correlated potential factors? A retrospective study.

Valentina Bruno, Carlo Ticconi, Federica Martelli, Marzia Nuccetelli, Maria Vittoria Capogna, Roberto Sorge, Emilio Piccione, Adalgisa Pietropolli

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In one paragraph

Article in BMC pregnancy and childbirth, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 6 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
6citing papers in PubMed
0.6field-weighted citation impact, top 36% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

6 citing papers in PubMed, 14 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Predictive value and clinical treatment guidance of uterine artery blood flow parameters for recurrent pregnancy loss.International journal of gynaecology and obstetrics: the official organ of the International Federation of Gynaecology and Obstetrics · 2026
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.

Valentina BrunoAcademic Department of Biomedicine and Prevention, Section of Gynecology, University of Rome "Tor Vergata", Via Montpellier, 1 -, 00133, Rome, Italy. valentinabruno_86@hotmail.it.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-0008-9573
Carlo TicconiAcademic Department of Surgical Sciences, Section of Gynecology, Tor Vergata University Hospital, Viale Oxford, 81 -, 00133, Rome, Italy.
Federica MartelliAcademic Department of Biomedicine and Prevention, Section of Gynecology, University of Rome "Tor Vergata", Via Montpellier, 1 -, 00133, Rome, Italy.
Marzia NuccetelliDepartment of Experimental Medicine and Surgery, Tor Vergata University Hospital, Viale Oxford, 81 -, 00133, Rome, Italy.
Maria Vittoria CapognaAcademic Department of Surgical Sciences, Section of Gynecology, Tor Vergata University Hospital, Viale Oxford, 81 -, 00133, Rome, Italy.
Roberto SorgeDepartment of Systems Medicine, Laboratory of Biometry, University of Rome "Tor Vergata", Via Montpellier, 1 -, 00133, Rome, Italy.
Emilio PiccioneAcademic Department of Surgical Sciences, Section of Gynecology, Tor Vergata University Hospital, Viale Oxford, 81 -, 00133, Rome, Italy.
Adalgisa PietropolliAcademic Department of Systems Medicine, Section of Gynecology, University of Rome "Tor Vergata", Via Montpellier, 1 -, 00133, Rome, Italy.
University of Rome Tor Vergata · IT

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundThe potential role of antinuclear antibodies (ANA) in recurrent pregnancy loss (RPL) pathogenesis is still debated, although some evidences suggest that they could affect pregnancy outcome, leading to a higher miscarriage rate in these patients. A hypothesized mechanism is through changes in uterine flow in pre-conceptional stage, by modifying endometrial receptivity in RPL. However, scant data are available, in pregnancy, about their role in RPL placental perfusion, also in relation to its potential treatments, such as low molecular weight heparin (LMWH). The aim of this study is to retrospectively further investigate the correlation between two-dimensional (2D) and three-dimensional (3D) uterine and placental flow indexes and the presence or the absence of ANA in women with unexplained RPL (uRPL), treated or not treated with LMWH.

methods2D Doppler measurement of pulsatility index (PI) of the uterine arteries and 3D ultrasonography determination of vascularization index (VI), flow index (FI) and vascularization flow index (VFI) was carried out with the aid of the virtual organ computer-aided analysis (VOCAL) technique in LMWH treated (n 24) and not treated-uRPL patients (n 20) and in the relative control group (n 27), each group divided in ANA+ and ANA- subgroups. Serum assay for the presence of ANA was performed in all women.

resultsNo differences were found in PI, VFI and VI values, by comparing the different groups. A difference in VI values was found for ANA- patients between RPL women not treated with LMWH and the treated ones (p = 0,01), which have lower VI values and similar to controls. By considering only ANA- treated and not treated RPL patients, the ROC curve shows an area of 0,80 and at the VI cut-off of 11,08 a sensitivity of 85% and a specificity of 67%.

conclusionsLMWH could exert a potential beneficial effect in restoring the physiological blood flow supply in terms of VI in uRPL ANA- status, suggesting to include ANA and VI investigations in the RPL diagnostic algorithm in a research context, since further studies are needed to clarify this challenging hypothesis in order to try to ameliorate ANA and abnormal placental vascularization negative influence on RPL pregnancy outcome .

Indexed as

Abortion, HabitualAdultAntibodies, AntinuclearAnticoagulantsBlood Flow VelocityFemaleHeparin, Low-Molecular-WeightHumansImaging, Three-DimensionalPilot ProjectsPlacentaPlacental CirculationPregnancyPulsatile FlowUltrasonography, DopplerUltrasonography, PrenatalAntibodies, AntinuclearAnticoagulantsHeparin, Low-Molecular-WeightANALMWHPlacental blood flow supplyuRPLVOCAL

Identifiers

PMID31959152
PMCPMC6971936
OpenAlexW3006178413

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.