Acute Atherosis Lesions at the Fetal-Maternal Border: Current Knowledge and Implications for Maternal Cardiovascular Health.

Decidua basalis, the endometrium of pregnancy, is an important interface between maternal and fetal tissues, made up of both maternal and fetal cells. Acute atherosis is a uteroplacental spiral artery lesion. These patchy arterial wall lesions containing foam cells are predominantly found in the decidua basalis, at the tips of the maternal arteries, where they feed into the placental intervillous space. Acute atherosis is prevalent in preeclampsia and other obstetric syndromes such as fetal growth restriction. Causal factors and effects of acute atherosis remain uncertain. This is in part because decidua basalis is challenging to sample systematically and in large amounts following delivery. We summarize our decidua basalis vacuum suction method, which facilitates tissue-based studies of acute atherosis. We also describe our evidence-based research definition of acute atherosis. Here, we comprehensively review the existing literature on acute atherosis, its underlying mechanisms and possible short- and long-term effects. We propose that multiple pathways leading to decidual vascular inflammation may promote acute atherosis formation, with or without poor spiral artery remodeling and/or preeclampsia. These include maternal alloreactivity, ischemia-reperfusion injury, preexisting systemic inflammation, and microbial infection. The concept of acute atherosis as an inflammatory lesion is not novel. The lesions themselves have an inflammatory phenotype and resemble other arterial lesions of more extensively studied etiology. We discuss findings of concurrently dysregulated proteins involved in immune regulation and cardiovascular function in women with acute atherosis. We also propose a novel hypothesis linking cellular fetal microchimerism, which is prevalent in women with preeclampsia, with acute atherosis in pregnancy and future cardiovascular and neurovascular disease. Finally, women with a history of preeclampsia have an increased risk of premature cardiovascular disease. We review whether presence of acute atherosis may identify women at especially high risk for premature cardiovascular disease.

A young woman who did not awake after extensive surgery. / En ung kvinne som ikke våknet etter omfattende operasjon.

BACKGROUND: Cystic echinococcosis (CE) caused by Echinococcus granulosus, significantly impacts health globally, but is a rare disease in Norway. CE is treated with a combination of anthelmintics and surgery, or percutaneous drainage. CASE PRESENTATION: A woman in her thirties underwent extensive surgery due to disseminated CE in the abdominal cavity and liver. Due to intraoperative cyst rupture with contamination of the abdominal cavity, peritoneal lavage with hypertonic saline (20 % NaCl), a scolicidal agent, was performed for ten minutes before irrigation with physiological saline. Immediately after surgery, the patient was haemodynamically unstable and did not awake. Blood level of sodium was found to be severely increased at 188 mmol/L (ref 137−144 mmol/L). Hypotonic fluids (5 % glucose) were immediately administered intravenously to correct the acute hypernatraemia. CT scan of the head did not show signs of bleeding or oedema. The sodium level was normalised on postoperative day three and the patient was discharged without any neurological sequelae. INTERPRETATION: Our patient developed iatrogenic acute severe hypernatraemia following abdominal lavage with hypertonic saline. Acute severe hypernatraemia is potentially lethal. Hypertonic saline must be used intraoperatively with great caution. Regular blood tests to detect hypernatraemia and monitor other electrolyte disturbances should be mandatory.