[Therapeutic ligature of hypogastric arteries: color Doppler follow-up].
PURPOSE: To evaluate the interest of color Doppler sonography in the watching of therapeutic ligature of hypogastric arteries. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Thirteen female patients presenting a serious haemorrhage in the post-partum and be in managed by bilateral hypogastric ligature, have undergone a systematic protocol of investigation involving a Doppler sonography in the fourth day after intervention and then monthly until repermeabilization of the internal iliac arteries. RESULTS: In all cases, the first exam showed down-side the ligature, a flow inversion with an important pelvic collateral circulation. The next Doppler exams showed repermeabilization of the hypogastric arteries after an average interval of 5 months (extremes: 1 to 6 months). CONCLUSION: Color Doppler showed the resolvent character of therapeutic ligature of the hypogastric arteries and may estimate with sufficient accuracy the interval of repermeabilization.