Fetal echocardiographic evaluation before and after nifedipine treatment in preterm labor.

To date, this is the first study to examine the effects of nifedipine on the fetal heart using the TDI. Since nifedipine is a drug that is frequently used and well-tolerated in the prevention of preterm labor, it is crucial that it does not cause changes in fetal cardiac parameters during tocolysis. Therefore, we used TDI in addition to conventional methods to evaluate the effect of nifedipine, which is frequently used in obstetrics, on cardiac functions in the early period. Nifedipine treatment seems not to affect systolic or diastolic functions. This indicates that nifedipine is reliable on cardiac functions and morphology in pregnancies treated for preterm labor.