Tubo-ovarian abscess: A proposed new scoring system to guide clinical management.

OBJECTIVE: To create a risk scoring system comprised of clinical and radiological characteristics that can predict the likelihood of antibiotic treatment failure of tubo-ovarian abscesses. The score should guide clinicians in identifying patients to whom early intervention should be offered instead of a prolonged trial of antibiotics. METHODS: A multicenter, retrospective cohort study carried out between January 1, 2013 and September 30, 2019, identified consecutive patients with tubo-ovarian abscess. Using a chronological split, patients were allocated to two groups for the development and subsequent validation of the postulated scoring system. Univariate and bivariate analyses were performed to identify statistically significant variables for the failure of intravenous antibiotic treatment. RESULTS: In total, 214 consecutive patients with tubo-ovarian abscesses were identified. Data from the first 150 patients were used for the development of the postulated scoring system; data from the subsequent 64 patients were used for validation. Statistically significant clinical features between those having successful and unsuccessful management were: temperature (median = 37.1℃ vs 38.2℃, P = 0.0001), C-reactive protein (151 mg/L vs 243 mg/L, P = 0.0001), and tubo-ovarian abscess diameter (6.0 cm vs 8.0 cm, P = 0.0001). These parameters were used to create a risk prediction score. A score of four or more was predictive of requiring surgical/radiological intervention of tubo-ovarian abscess (P < 0.001). The score had a sensitivity of 69% and a specificity of 88%, with area under the curve (AUC) = 0.859. CONCLUSION: Currently, there is no guidance for clinicians on when to operate on a tubo-ovarian abscess. Our prediction score is simple, using only three easily obtained clinical characteristics.

Pulmonary arteriovenous malformation unmasked in pregnancy: A case report.

Pulmonary arteriovenous malformations are anomalous communications between arteries and veins of the pulmonary vasculature. Its incidence is rare. Pulmonary arteriovenous malformations can be asymptomatic or cause profound cardiovascular compromise and adverse neurological sequelae, as a result of right to left shunting of deoxygenated blood. Pregnancy and its physiological demands can unmask and exacerbate pulmonary arteriovenous malformations with attendant risks of life threatening complications and rarely, death. This case report describes a first presentation of pulmonary arteriovenous malformation in pregnancy and the tendency for misdiagnosis with pulmonary embolism. A multidisciplinary approach to management is pertinent considering the challenges involved in deciding the appropriate therapeutic management in pregnancy which has to be weighed against potential maternal and fetal risks.

Phenytoin but not valproate directly affected in vitro trophoblast differentiation.

OBJECTIVE: Epilepsy has been associated with poor obstetric outcomes that could be the result of the epilepsy itself or a direct effect of anti-epileptic medication on placentation. The aim of this study was to investigate any direct effect of anti-epileptic drugs on an established, in vitro bioassay of trophoblast differentiation. STUDY DESIGN: Primary extravillous trophoblast cells were cultured in the presence of phenytoin and sodium valproate at a range of concentrations with appropriate solvent controls. The formation of multinuclear giant cells was used as a marker of trophoblast differentiation. RESULTS: Phenytoin inhibited giant multinuclear cell formation in a dose-dependent manner; in contrast sodium valproate had no effect (p=0.011). CONCLUSIONS: This study found that two anti-epileptic medications induced different effects on an in vitro trophoblast bioassay, suggesting that further research should be aimed at elucidating which anti-epileptic medication is most suitable for pregnant women.

Trophoblast invasion.

Trophoblast invasion can be seen as a tightly regulated battle between the competing interests of the survival of the fetus and those of the mother. Successful pregnancy is dependent on the trophoblast invading the mother, attaching the pregnancy to the uterus and securing an adequate supply of oxygen and nutrient to the fetus. For successful invasion to occur, extravillous trophoblast has to perform a range of functions; transformation of the maternal spiral arteries, tolerate hypoxia, proliferate and die by apoptosis (programmed cell death), differentiate, adhere to and digest the extracellular matrix, move and interact with the maternal immune system. Each of these functions has multiple overlapping control systems so that trophoblast invasion is a finely controlled balance of competing mechanisms.