title: Raloxifene therapy does not affect uterine blood flow in postmenopausal women: a transvaginal Doppler study.
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: 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
authors.forename: George Dantas
authors.initials: GD
authors.lastname: de Azevedo
authors.forename: Maria Fernanda Massoni
authors.initials: MF
authors.lastname: do Prado
authors.forename: Rui Alberto
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Ferriani
authors.forename: Rosana Maria
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: dos Reis
authors.forename: Aderson Tadeu
authors.initials: AT
authors.lastname: Berezowski
authors.forename: Tatiane Flores
authors.initials: TF
authors.lastname: Ribeiro
authors.forename: Ester
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Silva
authors.forename: Técia Maria
authors.initials: TM
authors.lastname: de Oliveira Maranhão
authors.forename: Marcos Felipe
authors.initials: MF
authors.lastname: Silva de Sá
mesh_terms: 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
chemical_list: D020845:Selective Estrogen Receptor Modulators; D020849:Raloxifene Hydrochloride