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  • Perinatal/Neonatal Case Presentation
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Perinatal/Neonatal Case Presentation

Hypertrophic intraventricular flow obstruction after very-low-dose dexamethasone (Minidex) in preterm infants: case presentation and review of the literature

Journal of Perinatology volume 34, pages 244–246 (2014)Cite this article

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Abstract

The use of dexamethasone in preterm infants developing bronchopulmonary dysplasia has been proven to be effective. Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy is a frequently reported, although transient, side effect of high-dose dexamethasone administration. The recent introduction of very low dexamethasone dose, called ‘Minidex’, promised equal effectiveness compared to high-dose dexamethasone without relevant side effects. Our study presents two patients developing hypertrophic cardiomyopathy with intraventricular cardiac obstruction after administration of ‘Minidex’. Marked cardiac side effects may occur even during very-low-dose dexamethasone treatment in preterm neonates. Betablocker and discontinuation of dexamethasone seem to allow spontaneous reversal of myocardial hypertrophy and obstruction. After all, systematic surveys of the incidence of cardiac complications in a larger population of preterm infants treated with very low doses of dexamethasone are needed.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Pediatric Cardiology, University of Leipzig—Heart Center, Leipzig, Germany

    C Paech

  2. Department of Neonatology, University of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany

    N Wolf, U H Thome & M Knüpfer

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  1. C Paech
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  2. N Wolf
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  3. U H Thome
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  4. M Knüpfer
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Correspondence to C Paech.

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Paech, C., Wolf, N., Thome, U. et al. Hypertrophic intraventricular flow obstruction after very-low-dose dexamethasone (Minidex) in preterm infants: case presentation and review of the literature. J Perinatol 34, 244–246 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1038/jp.2013.171

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