Brandt, Yentl, Alers, Robert Jan, Canjels, Lisanne P.W., Jorissen, Laura M., Jansen, Gwyneth, Janssen, Emma B.N.J., Van Kuijk, Sander, Went, Tamara Michelle, Koehn, Dennis, Gerretsen, Suzanne C., Jansen, Jacobus, Backes, Walter, Hurks, Petra P.M., Van De Ven, Vincent, Kooi, M. Eline, Spaanderman, Marc E.A., Ghossein-Doha, Chahinda, Brandt, Yentl, Alers, Robert Jan, Canjels, Lisanne P.W., Jorissen, Laura M., Jansen, Gwyneth, Janssen, Emma B.N.J., Van Kuijk, Sander, Went, Tamara Michelle, Koehn, Dennis, Gerretsen, Suzanne C., Jansen, Jacobus, Backes, Walter, Hurks, Petra P.M., Van De Ven, Vincent, Kooi, M. Eline, Spaanderman, Marc E.A., and Ghossein-Doha, Chahinda
Introduction Pre-eclampsia is a hypertensive disorder affecting up to 8% of pregnancies. After pre-eclampsia, women are at increased risk of cognitive problems, and cerebrovascular and cardiovascular disorders. These sequelae could result from microvascular dysfunction persisting after pre-eclampsia. This study will explore differences in cerebral and myocardial microvascular function between women after pre-eclampsia and women after normotensive gestation. We hypothesise that pre-eclampsia alters cerebral and myocardial microvascular functions, which in turn are related to diminished cognitive and cardiac performance. Methods and analysis The cross-sectional € DEcreased Cognitive functiON, NEurovascular CorrelaTes and myocardial changes in women with a history of pre-eclampsia' (DECONNECT) pilot study includes women after pre-eclampsia and controls after normotensive pregnancy between 6 months and 20 years after gestation. We recruit women from the Queen of Hearts study, a study investigating subclinical heart failure after pre-eclampsia. Neuropsychological tests are employed to assess different cognitive domains, including attention, processing speed, and cognitive control. Cerebral images are recorded using a 7 Tesla MRI to assess blood-brain barrier integrity, perfusion, blood flow, functional and structural networks, and anatomical dimensions. Cardiac images are recorded using a 3 Tesla MRI to assess cardiac perfusion, strain, dimensions, mass, and degree of fibrosis. We assess the effect of a history of pre-eclampsia using multivariable regression analyses. Ethics and dissemination This study is approved by the Ethics Committee of Maastricht University Medical Centre (METC azM/UM, NL47252.068.14). Knowledge dissemination will include scientific publications, presentations at conferences and public forums, and social media. Trial registration number NCT02347540.