OBJECTIVE This study was conducted to compare the tocolytic efficacy of glyceryltrinitrate (GTN) with that of magnesium sulfate (MgSO4) and to investigate serum nitric oxide metabolites before and after tocolysis. MATERIAL AND METHODS In total, 48 women between 27 and 34 weeks' gestation with threatened preterm labor and intact membranes were randomly allocated to receive either GTN or MgSO4 ...

Dihydropyridine Ca2+ channel blockers (CCBs) are widely accepted in the treatment of premature labour. Their mechanism of action in tocolysis involves the blockade of L-type Ca2+ channels, influenced by the Ca2+-activated K+ channels, beta-adrenergic receptors (β-ARs) and sexual hormones. In clinical practice, most experience has been gained with the use of nifedipine, whose efficacy is superio...

Drug-induced rhabdomyolysis during pregnancy is extremely rare. We report here a rare case of ritodrine-hydrochloride-induced rhabdomyolysis in a pregnant patient with myotonic dystrophy. A 32-year-old primigravida was admitted because of premature labor at 31 weeks of gestation. She had been diagnosed as having myotonic dystrophy by electromyographic investigations and abnormal serum creatinin...

At the present, many drugs are used for inhibition of uterine contractions, but the proportions of preterm labors are increasing. Although magnesium sulfate is the most commonly prescribed parenteral tocolytic agent, but its optimal use has yet to be delineated. In this study a high-dose protocol for magnesium sulfate tocolytic therapy was compared with a low-dose regimen. One-hundred patie...

The use of tocolvtic agents to enhance uterine relaxation and facilitate external cephalic version (ECV) has come under recent debate. We studied 90 breech presentations in late pregnancy who did not have contra-indications to ECV. The patients were randomised into 3 groups of 30 patients each: one was administered oral salbutamol 4 mg t.d.s.; another had intravenous salbutamol infused until th...