Prenatal Sonographic Diagnosis of Premature Constriction of the Fetal Ductus Arteriosus After Maternal Self-Medication With Benzydamine Hydrochloride Report of 3 Cases and Review of the Literature

We report 3 cases of prenatal diagnosis of premature constriction of the ductus arteriosus after maternal benzydamine hydrochloride therapy (3-mg lozenges) in third-trimester pregnancies. In each case, fetal echocardiography revealed a dilated, hypocontractile right ventricle with severe tricuspid regurgitation and constriction of the ductus arteriosus. Although the effect of indomethacin and other nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs on prenatal ductal constriction is well known, readily available over-the-counter nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs such as benzydamine can have an equally deleterious effect and are best avoided in the third trimester of pregnancy.