Right ventricular hypertrophic cardiomyopathy in the fetus – may it be caused by chronic oral tocolysis with fenoterol?

Abstract

The use of fenoterol in the treatment of preterm labor is associated with the risk of many complications in the mother and the fetus. We present a case of a multipara treated with oral fenoterol due to threatening preterm labor 14 weeks. At 35 weeks of gestation the fetus was diagnosed with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy with severe impairment of the right ventricle. The only factor that might have caused such a state of the fetal circulatory system was fenoterol, used from 21 weeks of gestation. After the withdrawal of the fenoterol the fetal right ventricular function improved gradually. However, fetal cardiac hypertrophy persisted until the birth at 39 weeks of gestation. Concentric hypertrophy of the right ventricular wall and interventricular septum were confirmed in the newborn.