THE EFFECTS OF GEMEPROST ON THE 2ND TRIMESTER FETUS

Objective To determine whether the use of gemeprost is associated with histological changes in the second trimester fetus. Setting Histopath ology department of a university hospital. Design Retrospective compar ison of histological features in fetuses aborted following maternal ad ministration of gemeprost, with those in fetuses after spontaneous mis carriage. Outcome measures Degree of tissue fragmentation; other histo logical abnormalities. Results Significantly greater fragmentation of the liver was found in fetuses exposed to gemeprost (P = 0.046). Nonsi gnificant effects were found for brain (P = 0.082) and heart (P = 0.18 3), and no effect was seen on the kidney, adrenal and lung. No other s ignificant histological differences were found between the two groups. Conclusions This study is the first to document an effect of gemepros t on the fetus, but confirmation is required in further studies. Other implications are discussed.