Raloxifene therapy does not affect uterine blood flow in postmenopausal women: a transvaginal Doppler study.
OBJECTIVE
To monitor the effects of raloxifene therapy on the uterus of postmenopausal women by transvaginal ultrasonography and color flow Doppler.


METHODS
Twenty-five healthy postmenopausal women were enrolled in this prospective longitudinal study performed at Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Faculty of Medicine of Ribeirão Preto. The patients were treated with raloxifene hydrochloride (60 mg per day) for 6 months. All were submitted to transvaginal ultrasound examination with color flow Doppler (ATL-HDI 3000 equipment) before the beginning and after 1, 3 and 6 months of treatment. Resistance index (RI) and pulsatility index (PI) of the uterine arteries were determined by the Doppler method, being considered as indicators of uterine perfusion. The following variables were analyzed: endometrial thickness, uterine volume, RI, and PI. Data were analyzed statistically by repeated-measures analysis of variance.


RESULTS
Before treatment, endometrial thickness was 3.38 +/- 0.73 mm, and similar values were observed after 1, 3 and 6 months of treatment (3.04 +/- 0.82; 3.3 +/- 0.83; and 3.37 +/- 0.79, respectively) (P > 0.05). No significant differences in uterine volume were observed between the pre- and post-treatment periods. Uterine artery perfusion as indicated by RI and PI measured by Doppler also showed no significant variation, with a high impedance flow being maintained throughout treatment.


CONCLUSIONS
In the group studied here, raloxifene treatment at the dose of 60 mg per day for 6 months did not induce significant changes in endometrial thickness, uterine volume or uterine artery perfusion, confirming that short-term raloxifene treatment does not affect the uterus of postmenopausal women.
de Azevedo
George Dantas
GD
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Faculty of Medicine of Ribeirão Preto, University of São Paulo, BR 101, Ribeirão Preto, SP, Brazil. georgedantas@uol.com.br
do Prado
Maria Fernanda Massoni
MF
Ferriani
Rui Alberto
RA
dos Reis
Rosana Maria
RM
Berezowski
Aderson Tadeu
AT
Ribeiro
Tatiane Flores
TF
Silva
Ester
E
de Oliveira Maranhão
Técia Maria
TM
Silva de Sá
Marcos Felipe
MF
D000368:Aged; D001158:Arteries / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D004717:Endometrium / Q000098:blood supply / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000187:drug effects; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008875:Middle Aged; D017698:Postmenopause; D011446:Prospective Studies; D020849:Raloxifene Hydrochloride / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology*; D012039:Regional Blood Flow / Q000187:drug effects; D020845:Selective Estrogen Receptor Modulators / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology*; D018615:Ultrasonography, Doppler, Color / Q000379:methods; D014599:Uterus / Q000098:blood supply* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000187:drug effects
D020845:Selective Estrogen Receptor Modulators; D020849:Raloxifene Hydrochloride