Résumé
Introduction: To review the gestational age at diagnosis, method of diagnosis, pregnancy outcome and maternal complications of prenatally diagnosed lethal foetal anomalies. Methods: Retrospective review of 25 women who had aborted or delivered foetuses with lethal anomalies in a tertiary hospital in 2011 based on patient medical records. Results: There were a total of 10,088 deliveries, in which 25 (0.24%) women were found to have conceived foetuses with lethal anomalies. All of them were diagnosed by prenatal ultrasound and only 7 (28.0%) had both prenatal ultrasound and genetic study done. The women’s mean age was 29.9 years old. The mean gestational age at diagnosis of lethal foetal anomalies was 25.5 weeks (SD=12.5) and mean gestational age at termination of pregnancy (TOP) or delivery was 28.5 weeks (SD=12.5). Seven (28%) women had early counseling and TOP at the gestation of < 22 weeks. Beyond 22 weeks of gestation, eight (32%) women had TOP and ten (40%) women had spontaneous delivery. Twenty (80%) women delivered or aborted vaginally, three (12%) women with assisted breech delivery and two (8%) women with abdominal delivery which were performed due to transverse foetal lie in labour and a failed induction, leading to emergency hysterotomy complicated by hysterectomy due to intraoperative finding of ruptured uterus. Overall, the associated post-partum adverse events included post-partum haemorrhage (12%), retained placenta (12%), blood transfusion (8%), uterine rupture (4%) and endometritis (4%). Mean duration of hospital stay was 6.6 days (SD 3.7 days). Conclusion: Late diagnosis of lethal foetal anomalies leads to various maternal morbidities, in this case series , which could have been prevented if they were diagnosed and terminated at early trimester. A new direction is needed in our local practice.
Résumé
O diabetes mellitus gestacional é a mais comum das alterações metabólicas e uma das mais frequentes complicações clínicas que acometem a gravidez. A sua ocorrência está associada ao aumento de resultados adversos maternos e perinatais. Tais intercorrências não se restringem à duração do ciclo gravídico-puerperal, pois podem acarretar consequências de médio e longo prazos para a mãe e o recém-nascido. Esta revisão bibliográfica teve como objetivo analisar a evolução dos critérios e procedimentos empregados para a detecção e assistência às portadoras de diabetes gestacional, com ênfase no conteúdo dos protocolos recomendados atualmente por algumas das mais importantes entidades científicas nacionais e internacionais. Confirmou-se a grande heterogeneidade existente entre esses protocolos, fato que reflete a ausência de evidências científicas definitivas acerca da melhor metodologia de rastreamento e diagnóstico da doença. Como consequência, qualquer análise mais precisa da relação entre os valores da glicemia materna e o prognóstico materno-fetal encontra-se prejudicada. Entretanto, mais recentemente, alguns estudos importantes documentaram os benefícios do controle adequado do diabetes gestacional. Essas pesquisas geraram uma expectativa mais otimista de resposta aos principais questionamentos que ainda persistem na literatura: se o screening deve ou não ser realizado, qual o tipo mais adequado de rastreio e quais os níveis de hiperglicemia materna que estão diretamente relacionados aos maus resultados perinatais.
Gestational diabetes is the most common of the metabolic changes and one of the most frequent clinical complications that strike during pregnancy. Its occurrence is associated with an increase in adverse maternal and perinatal consequences. These intercurrences are not restricted only to the duration of the pregnant-puerperal cycle, as they can have medium and long term consequences for the mother and the newborn. The goal of this bibliographical review is to analyze the evolution of the criteria and procedures adopted to detect and care for patients with gestational diabetes, with emphasis on the content of guidelines presently recommended by some of the most important domestic and international scientific entities. The study confirmed the heterogeneity existing between these guidelines, which is a reflection of the lack of definitive scientific evidence surrounding the best methodology to screen and diagnose the illness. As a consequence, a more precise analysis of the relation between the levels of maternal glycemia and the maternal-fetal prognosis is impaired. However, more recently, some important studies have documented the benefits of proper control of gestational diabetes. These studies have led to a more optimistic expectation to find the answers to the main questions that still remain in the literature: whether screening should or should not be performed, what is the most appropriate type os screening and which levels of maternal hyperglycemia are directly related with bad perinatal results.