Remodeling of the cardiovascular circulation in fetuses of mothers with diabetes: a fetal computational model analysis

Abstract

Myocardial structural and functional abnormalities are known to occur in fetuses of mothers with diabetes mellitus (FMDM). The main aim of this investigation was to explore the cardiovascular circulatory patterns in FMDM using a validated lumped computational model of the cardiovascular system. This was a multi-institutional study involving FMDM compared to fetuses of maternal controls (FC). Fetal echocardiographic Doppler data from left and right ventricular outflow tracts, aortic isthmus, middle cerebral and umbilical arteries were fitted into a validated fetal circulation computational model to estimate patient-specific placental and vascular properties. Non-parametric comparisons were made between resistances, compliances and flows in the brain and placenta in FMDM and FC.