El-Shalakany, A., Abd El Aleem, M., Bawady, M. (2018). Sildenafil Citrate and Uteroplacental Perfusion in Fetal Growth Restriction. The Egyptian Journal of Hospital Medicine, 71(4), 2989-2995.
Amr Hasan El-Shalakany; Mohamed Mahmoud Abd El Aleem; Mohamed Zaifer Ali Bawady. "Sildenafil Citrate and Uteroplacental Perfusion in Fetal Growth Restriction". The Egyptian Journal of Hospital Medicine, 71, 4, 2018, 2989-2995.
El-Shalakany, A., Abd El Aleem, M., Bawady, M. (2018). 'Sildenafil Citrate and Uteroplacental Perfusion in Fetal Growth Restriction', The Egyptian Journal of Hospital Medicine, 71(4), pp. 2989-2995.
El-Shalakany, A., Abd El Aleem, M., Bawady, M. Sildenafil Citrate and Uteroplacental Perfusion in Fetal Growth Restriction. The Egyptian Journal of Hospital Medicine, 2018; 71(4): 2989-2995.
Sildenafil Citrate and Uteroplacental Perfusion in Fetal Growth Restriction
Obstetrics and Gynecology Department, Faculty of Medicine, Ain Shams University
Abstract
Background: Severe early-onset fetal growth restriction can lead to a range of adverse outcomes including fetal or neonatal death, neurodisability, and lifelong risks to the health of the affected child. Sildenafil, a phosphodiesterase type 5 inhibitor, potentiates the actions of nitric oxide, which leads to vasodilatation of the uterine vessels and might improve fetal growth in utero. Objective: To evaluate effectiveness and safety of Sildenafil citrate for treatment of intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR). Design: A prospective randomized control study. Setting: At Ain shams University hospital and Kafr Aldwwar main Hospital in El-Beheria governorate. Subjects: Eighty pregnant women with gestational age between 24 and 34 weeks having singleton pregnancy and suffering from IUGR attending an antenatal clinic. Methods: Eighty pregnant women with FGR and abnormal umbilical artery Doppler between 24and34 weeks were randomly allocated to sildenafil (n= 40) 25mg tid or placebo (n=40) with a plenty of fluids until delivery. Main outcome measure: Length of pregnancy, neonatal weight and ICU admission. Results: Sildenafil treatment was associated with a significant increase in length of pregnancy (P> 0.05) and a significant increase in estimated fetal weight by ultrasound (P<0.05), and was associated with a significant decrease in neonatal ICU admission (P=0.218) and neonatal mortality (P=0.290). Conclusion: Sildenafil citrate can improve utero-placental perfusion and length of pregnancy in pregnancies complicated by IUGR. It appears to have a significantly positive effect on fetal weight. Sildenafil treatment may offer a new opportunity to improve perinatal outcomes, for pregnancies complicated by IUGR. However these observations require further studies on wide scale.