Hladunewich MA, Myers BD, Derby GC, Blouch KL, Druzin ML, Deen WM, Naimark DM, Lafayette RA. Course of preeclamptic glomerular injury after delivery. Am J Physiol Renal Physiol 294: F614-F620, 2008. First published January 16, 2008 doi:10.1152/ajprenal.00470.2007.-We evaluated the early postpartum recovery of glomerular function over 4 wk in 57 women with preeclampsia. We used physiological techniques to measure glomerular filtration rate (GFR), renal plasma flow, and oncotic pressure ( A) and computed a value for the two-kidney ultrafiltration coefficient (Kf). Compared with healthy, postpartum controls, GFR was depressed by 40% on postpartum day 1, but by only 19% and 8% in the second and fourth postpartum weeks, respectively. Hypofiltration was attributable solely to depression, at corresponding postpartum times, of Kf by 55%, 30%, and 18%, respectively. Improvement in glomerular filtration capacity was accompanied by recovery of hypertension to near-normal levels and significant improvement in albuminuria. We conclude that the functional manifestations of the glomerular endothelial injury of preeclampsia largely resolve within the first postpartum month. glomerular filtration rate; ultrafiltration coefficient; postpartum recovery AFFECTING 5-7% of pregnancies, preeclampsia remains a leading cause of maternal and fetal morbidity and mortality. Because the primary target of injury in preeclampsia is the glomerular endothelial cell, affected patients invariably present with depression of the glomerular filtration rate (GFR), proteinuria, and hypertension. We previously (13) evaluated glomerular morphology immediately after delivery. We demonstrated severe endothelial cell swelling with diminished size and density of the endothelial fenestrae, along with mesangial cell interposition and subendothelial fibrinoid deposits. These findings were computed to lower glomerular filtration capacity sufficiently to account for the observed depression of GFR by 40% (13).Despite the profound alterations in glomerular morphology, clinical recovery is usually rapid after delivery of the placenta. However, few detailed physiological evaluations of preeclampsia have been undertaken in the postpartum period. The characteristic glomerular pathological lesion has been reported to improve within days after delivery (21). Although complete recovery can occasionally require in excess of 6 mo, the majority of cases demonstrate complete resolution of the renal pathology within 3 mo (25). With the exception of those women with persistent postpartum hypertension, GFR and proteinuria also normalize over several months (18,(32)(33)(34).In the present study, we have employed precise physiological techniques to evaluate the postpartum course of the GFR and its determinants in women with preeclampsia. We combined our physiological findings with mathematical modeling to estimate glomerular ultrafiltration capacity. We observed a profound initial injury, which improved significantly after 4 wk.
METHODSPatient population. This paper represents a...