QUESTION OF THE MONTH. APRIL 2000.
As soon as postmortem studies were performed, generalized vascular endothelium dysruption with multisystemic micro and macro parenchymatous hemorrhages were a dominant feature in eclamptic deaths. From the very beggining it was obvious that prior to vascular rupture, at least two abnormal conditions should develop; (1) an increase in vascular (mostly pre-capillary and capillary) porosity, permeability and fragility, and (2) some blood changes leading to poor coagulation.
Although we have strong reasons to believe that these vascular endothelium changes exist throughout the complete vascular system, among many other facts, because a team of Mexican researchers found vascular endothelial lesions with electron microscopy in gum biopsies of eclamptic patients (un-published material), why then do they seem to be much more evident in renal, hepatic and brain territories ? and, do they develop simultaneously or follow a priority route?