Effects of oral and transdermal hormone replacement therapy on internal carotid artery pulsatility indices in
F Sendağ1, M C Terek, N Karadadaş
1Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Ege University Faculty of Medicine, Bornova, Izmir 35100, Turkey. sendag@med.ege.edu.tr
Objective:
To compare the effects of oral and transdermal hormone replacement therapy on the internal carotid artery pulsatility index in postmenopausal women.
Study Design:
Thirty-seven women were randomized to six months of treatment with oral (n = 19) or transdermal (n = 18) sequential combined hormone replacement therapy. The internal carotid artery pulsatility index was assessed by color Doppler ultrasound at baseline and after six months of treatment.
Results:
Carotid artery pulsatility indices were significantly lower than the mean of 0.939 +/- 0.139 at 0.860 +/- 0.084 in the oral hormone replacement group and significantly lower than the mean of 0.928 +/- 0.092 at 0.891 +/- 0.046 in the transdermal hormone replacement therapy group (P = .042) after six months of treatment. The mean changes in the carotid artery pulsatility index between the oral and transdermal hormone replacement groups were nonsignificant (-0.078 +/- 0.131 and -0.037 +/- 0.067, respectively; P = .53). There was a significant negative correlation between the change in pulsatility index during treatment and baseline values in the carotid artery (r = -.81, P = .001), but no correlation was found with time since menopause and serum estradiol level.
Conclusion:
Oral and transdermal sequential hormone replacement therapy are similarly effective at six months in reducing impedance to flow in the internal carotid artery.
