The effect of L-arginine treatment on Doppler measurements in pregnant women with gestational hypertension and hypotrophy

Aim: Gestational hypertension and following fetal hypotrophy are associated with elevated prenatal mortality and morbidity. The main aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of L-arginine administration on the Doppler measurements in pregnancies complicated by hypotrophy and gestational hypertension. Methods: The study was undertaken at Poznan Medical University, Department of Perinatology and Gynecology. The study group included 101 randomly chosen pregnant women with diagnosed gestational hypertension and whose fetuses were diagnosed with intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR). 62 women received 3 g of L-arginine daily as a supplement to a standard therapy and 39 women received placebo (control group) as well as a standard therapy. The ultrasound and clinical examination were performed on the first day of hospitalization, and then every two weeks in both groups. Results: There were no significant differences in umbilical artery pulsality indices values and middle cerebral artery pulsality indices values between the group treated with L-arginine and the placebo group. After therapy, the uterine artery pulsatility (25.0% vs. 64.3%), (respectively p < 0.05) and resistance (45.0% vs. 85.7%), (p < 0.05) indices values were significantly lower in the L-arginine than in the placebo group. However, these benefits require confirmation in a larger, more-powered study.