Maternal plasma soluble fms-like tyrosine kinase-1 and free vascular endothelial growth factor at 11 to 13 weeks of gestation in preeclampsia.

OBJECTIVE To investigate the maternal plasma concentration of soluble fms-like tyrosine kinase-1 (sFlt-1) and free vascular endothelial growth factor (free-VEGF) at 11 to 13 weeks of gestation in patients destined to develop preeclampsia (PE) and to examine whether any possible differences in maternal plasma levels are related to uterine artery pulsatility index (PI) and maternal serum placental growth factor (PlGF). METHODS Plasma free-VEGF, plasma sFlt-1, serum PlGF and uterine artery PI were measured at 11 to 13 weeks in 90 cases that subsequently developed PE and in 180 unaffected controls. RESULTS In the majority of cases of PE and controls the levels of free-VEGF were undetectable. In the pregnancies that developed PE, compared to unaffected controls, uterine artery PI was higher, serum PlGF was lower but there was no significant difference in levels of sFlt-1. CONCLUSION Measurement of free-VEGF and sFlt-1 in maternal blood at 11 to 13 weeks of gestation is not useful in the prediction of pregnancies destined to develop PE.