Vascular impedance of uterine, inferior vesicle, and ophthalmic arteries in postmenopausal women receiving hormonal replacement therapy: comparative Doppler study.
OBJECTIVE
To investigate the effects of combined hormone replacement therapy (HRT) on vascular impedance of the uterine, the inferior vesicle, and the ophthalmic arteries.


METHODS
Thirty-five postmenopausal patients were divided in two groups: 21 patients with 1-5 years of menopause and 14 patients with =6 years of menopause. Each group was examined in basal condition and after 1, 3, and 6 months of HRT. Blood flow impedances of the uterine, the inferior vesicle, and the ophthalmic arteries were analyzed by color Doppler. Estradiol plasma concentrations were assayed on the day of Doppler examination.


RESULTS
Analysis of the uterine and inferior vesicle arteries flow velocities showed a significant positive correlation between the resistance index (RI) and years of menopause. Higher impedance values were found in patients with longer menopause duration (p<0.05). In patients with =6 years of menopause, impedances of the uterine and the inferior vesicle arteries were 0. 94+/-0.03 and 0.91+/-0.04, respectively, whereas in patients with 1-5 years of menopause impedances were 0.89+/-0.04 and 0.98+/-0.02, respectively. We noticed no significant correlation between baseline RI and duration of menopause at the level of the ophthalmic artery in either group (0.72 vs. 0.73, respectively; p<0.05). After six months of HRT, plasma estradiol concentrations inversely correlated with RI of the uterine (r=0.2556; p=0.021), the inferior vesicle (r=0.2653; p=0.023), and the ophthalmic (r=-0.2211; p=0.017) arteries.


CONCLUSIONS
Doppler studies of the uterine, the inferior vesicle, and the ophthalmic arteries can provide specific and precise pathophysiological information to assess blood flow variations in correlation with combined HRT.
Bekavac
I
I
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Medical School University of Zagreb, Holy Ghost Hospital, Sveti Duh 64, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia. asim.kurjak@public.srce.hr.
Kupesic
S
S
Mihaljevic
D
D
Kurjak
A
A
D000704:Analysis of Variance; D001783:Blood Flow Velocity; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D004958:Estradiol / Q000097:blood; D005260:Female; D020249:Hormone Replacement Therapy; D006801:Humans; D016014:Linear Models; D008875:Middle Aged; D009880:Ophthalmic Artery / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000187:drug effects*; D017698:Postmenopause; D018615:Ultrasonography, Doppler, Color; D001743:Urinary Bladder / Q000098:blood supply* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000187:drug effects; D014599:Uterus / Q000098:blood supply* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000187:drug effects
D004958:Estradiol