gemeprost and Autolysis

To determine whether the use of gemeprost is associated with histological changes in the second trimester fetus.. Histopathology department of a university hospital.. Retrospective comparison of histological features in fetuses aborted following maternal administration of gemeprost, with those in fetuses after spontaneous miscarriage.. Degree of tissue fragmentation; other histological abnormalities.. Significantly greater fragmentation of the liver was found in fetuses exposed to gemeprost (P = 0.046). Nonsignificant effects were found for brain (P = 0.082) and heart (P = 0.183), and no effect was seen on the kidney, adrenal and lung. No other significant histological differences were found between the two groups.. This study is the first to document an effect of gemeprost on the fetus, but confirmation is required in further studies. Other implications are discussed.

Topics: Abortifacient Agents, Nonsteroidal; Alprostadil; Autolysis; Female; Fetus; Humans; Male; Pregnancy; Pregnancy Trimester, Second; Retrospective Studies