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 Histopathology department of a university hospital. Design Retrospective comparison of histological features in fetuses aborted following maternal administration of gemeprost, with those in fetuses after spontaneous miscarriage. Outcome measures Degree of tissue fragmentation; other histological abnormalities. Results 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. Conclusions 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.