title: Diastolic alterations in infants exposed to intrauterine cocaine: a follow-up study by color kinesis.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  During the first 48 hours of life, newborn infants exposed to cocaine in utero have left ventricular diastolic segmental abnormalities. It is unknown whether these abnormalities are transient because of short-term effects or persist in older infants, possibly reflecting a teratogenic effect of cocaine.
  
  
  METHODS
  This study prospectively evaluated global and segmental systolic and diastolic cardiac parameters by color kinesis. The patients were 2- to 6-month-old infants who were exposed to cocaine in utero (N = 56). Their data were compared with normal control patients with no intrauterine drug exposure (N = 60) and newborns exposed to drugs other than cocaine (N = 72).
  
  
  RESULTS
  At the age of 2 to 6 months, there was no significant difference in the measured color kinesis parameters among the cocaine-exposed and the 2 control groups (infants prenatally exposed to other drugs and no drugs). Infants exposed to heavy cocaine prenatally, as compared with the noncocaine-exposed group, had a significant (P =.007) increase in septal fractional area change during left ventricular filling.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  At 2 to 6 months of age, infants have recovered from initial left ventricular diastolic segmental alterations seen in the first 48 hours of life except for the septal wall in the heavily cocaine-exposed group.
authors.affiliation: Fairview Hospital and MetroHealth Medical Center, Cleveland, Ohio 44111, USA. ken.mehta@fairviewhospital.org
authors.forename: Sudhir Ken
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Mehta
authors.forename: Dennis M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Super
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Connuck
authors.forename: H Lester
authors.initials: HL
authors.lastname: Kirchner
authors.forename: Ann
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Salvator
authors.forename: Lynn
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Singer
authors.forename: Linda Goetz
authors.initials: LG
authors.lastname: Fradley
authors.forename: James D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Thomas
authors.forename: Jing Ping
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Sun
mesh_terms: D003042:Cocaine / Q000009:adverse effects*; D003971:Diastole / Q000187:drug effects; D018618:Echocardiography, Doppler, Color / Q000379:methods; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D011247:Pregnancy; D011297:Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects; D011446:Prospective Studies; D014662:Vasoconstrictor Agents / Q000009:adverse effects*; D018487:Ventricular Dysfunction, Left / Q000139:chemically induced*
chemical_list: D014662:Vasoconstrictor Agents; D003042:Cocaine