The hemodynamic effects of vaginally and intracervically administered prostaglan-din
E2 gel were evaluated by pulsed wave color Doppler ultrasound. Twenty term pregnant
mothers were recruited. Mothers were randomized to receive either vaginal or intracervical
prostaglandin E2 gel. The hemodynamics was assessed by repeated color Doppler velocimetry of the uterine
artery and fetal umbilical and middle cerebral arteries; analysis of variance was
used to test statistical significance. In the uterine artery a statistically significant
rise (P ≤ 0.001) of the pulsatility index (PI) was observed. A slightly higher rise of the
PI was observed after intracervical administration, but the difference between the
groups was not statistically significant (P = 0.4). The fetal PI remained unchanged both in the umbilical and cerebral vessels
throughout the study. The rise in the uterine artery PI is probably caused by an increase
in the uterine tone as prostaglandins of the E series usually cause vasodilation.
No detectable fetal effects were evident.
Prostaglandin E2
- cervix - vagina - Doppler ultrasound
