Effects of ligation of uterine veins in pregnant rats

¹ Department of Physiology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California

Uterine veins were ligated on day 14 of gestation in 24 rats; this procedure ensures drainage of uterine blood via the ovarian veins only. Eighteen sham-operated rats served as controls. The uterine vein-ligated rats showed no tendency to accumulate excessive extracellular fluid during gestation, and they excreted more water and solute in response to isotonic saline loading at term than did the controls. These results afford no evidence to strengthen the hypothesis that high implantation with consequent uterine venous drainage predominantly through the ovarian veins is a cause of human pre-eclampsia-eclampsia.