ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: To assess the role of prostaglandin E2 by measuring blood prostaglandin E2 metabolite (PGEM) concentrations in preterm infants with patent ductus arteriosus (PDA). STUDY DESIGN: A prospective observational study of preterm infants born before 32 weeks of gestational age (GA) was performed in a single tertiary hospital in Japan. Blood samples were collected to measure serum concentrations of PGEM, ibuprofen (IBU), and cytokines. Multiple regression analyses assessed associations between blood PGEM levels and perinatal factors, development of hemodynamically significant PDA (hsPDA), and IBU treatment response of hsPDA. RESULTS: Seventy-nine infants (median GA 28 weeks) were enrolled in this study. Forty-seven received IBU for hsPDA treatment 1 d after birth in median. PDA closure occurred in 25 infants after a single IBU treatment. Serum PGEM concentrations were associated with histologic chorioamnionitis (P < .01), but not with GA, respiratory distress syndrome, or serum IL-6 concentrations. Serum PGEM concentrations decreased after initial IBU treatment; however, they were not associated with hsPDA development (P = .39). IBU concentrations correlated with IBU treatment response (aOR 1.29, P < .01). However, pre-IBU serum PGEM levels and PGEM reduction ratio did not (P = .13, .15, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: Serum PGEM concentrations in preterm infants were associated with maternal histologic chorioamnionitis, but not hsPDA development. IBU treatment response was associated with higher blood IBU concentrations, but not PGEM concentrations.