Cocaine decreases urinary prostacyclin release in pregnancy: correlation with uterine and umbilical Doppler velocimetry

Objective: The purpose of this study was to determine maternal urinary prostacyclin and thromboxane excretion in patients with recent cocaine use, compared to cocaine-free controls, and correlate the findings with Doppler velocimetry. Study design: Seventeen patients admitted withpremature rupture of membranes between the gestational ages of 24 and 34 weeks were tested for urinary cocaine metabolites. Eleven patients had positive screening and six patients were negative and served as controls. After initial stabilization, 24-hurine collections were obtained and were assayed for the prostacyclin metabolite 2,3-dinor-6-keto-PGF1α, and the thromboxane metabolite 2,3-dinor TXB2. These patients underwent uterine and umbilical arterial Doppler velocimetry expressed as the pulsatility index. Statistical analysis was performed by the SPSS statistical package using the non-paired Student ttest, and Spearman correlation coefficient with p