Conservative management of cervical ectopic pregnancy: case report and review of literature.

PURPOSE OF INVESTIGATION: The aim of the study is to describe the management of a case of cervical ectopic pregnancy at six weeks. CASE: A 34-year-old patient presented with six weeks of amenorrhea and a cervical pregnancy diagnosed by transvaginal ultrasound. Obstetrical anamnesis showed previous cesarean section and celiac disease as medical complications. At six weeks and one day 50 mg intramuscular methotrexate (MTX) was started and repeated three days later. At six weeks + six days the patient had vaginal bleeding so she was submitted to an emergency surgical procedure consisting of dilatation and curettage followed by a Foley balloon tamponade, which was gradually deflated and removed after two days. CONCLUSION: Early diagnosis and an appropriate MTX regimen in combination with adjuvant conservative procedures allow successful treatment of a cervical pregnancy, preserving the uterus and future reproductive outcome. However further studies are needed to define the best approach for management of cervical pregnancy.

[Preliminary experience with transobturator tape for treatment of urinary incontinence in women]. / Esperienza preliminare con benderella transotturatoria per il trattamento dell'incontinenza urinaria femminile.

AIM: Aim of this study is to report our preliminary experience with a minimally invasive surgical procedure using transobturator approach. METHODS: We enrolled in our study 19 patients with stress urinary incontinence and urethral hypermobility without genital prolapse. All patients underwent suburethral transobturator tape (TOT) procedure. Four patients underwent previous surgical procedure for incontinence (3 Kelly and 1 Burch). No patients reported previous major gynaecological surgery. Mean age was 58.68 years (range 36-75). The sling was placed according to the technique described by Delorme. RESULTS: Mean operating time was 21 min (range 14-48). No bladder lesions or intraoperative complications occurred. Fifteen patients were dismissed the same day of surgery. Mean hospital staying was 1.4 days (range 1-5). No infections, erosions or sieromas have been observed. CONCLUSIONS: Our experience shows as TOT technique is extremely rapid, reproducible and with a very short learning curve. The transobturator approach avoids the risk of bladder, bowel or vascular injuries. Compliance and patient satisfaction have been very encouraging, restoring a real functional well-being. However, the small number of patients in our study and the short follow up do not actually allow us to draw definitive results and further studies are needed to confirm the technique success.

Uterine arteriovenous malformation: a case report diagnosed by sonohysterography.

PURPOSE OF INVESTIGATION: The aim of this report is to describe a case of uterine arteriovenous malformation that occurred in a 54-year-old postmenopausal woman referring recurrent postmenopausal bleeding, after two years of tamoxifen therapy. METHODS: Medical therapy with GnRh agonists was unsuccessful. Ultrasound and Doppler flow ultrasound scanning were normal and the following hysteroscopy was normal as well. RESULTS: Hysterosonography performed on the patient made us suspect the presence of an intracavitary vascular lesion which was confirmed histologically after hysterectomy. CONCLUSION: In our case hysterosonography allowed us--by creating optimal contrast between the uterine wall and the uterine cavity--to suspect and identify the lesion and to recognize the typical ultrasound findings of this pathology not visualized with standard transvaginal ultrasound.

Influence of a decisional tree on the route of hysterectomy for benign disease in Italy: personal experience.

BACKGROUND: Mainly to report our experience in the route of hysterectomy after introducing specific guidelines according to the Society of Pelvic Reconstructive Surgeons and to record all hysterectomy-related complications after abdominal and vaginal hysterectomies. METHODS: The records of 22 patients who underwent abdominal hysterectomy and 59 who underwent vaginal hysterectomy for benign disease were reviewed. Complications related to hysterectomy were recorded during surgery, postoperative hospital stay and a period of six weeks. Statistical methods used were t-tests and chi square analysis. RESULTS: Operation time was shorter with the vaginal route. Patients operated on via the vaginal route had less blood loss and shorter hospital stay. CONCLUSIONS: The main standard to select the route for hysterectomy is the severity of the clinical status. Decreasing the ratio between the abdominal and vaginal route is possible, but it is crucial to make the indications clear, based on scientific evidence.

Pilot study on lipocalin expression into extracellular fluids of women in fertile age.

BACKGROUND: To verify the expression of neutrophil gelatinase associated lipocalin (NGAL), molecule now arising great interest because of its proposed involvement in cell-cycle regulation, acute phase response and immunomodulation, into extracellular fluids of female reproductive tract, in order to provide useful data to understand its biological functions. The data collected are purely qualitative, just meant to reveal the presence of lipocalin into the assayed fluids, and they have to be considered as preliminary for a quantitative study (in progress at the moment) based on a double antibody radioimmunoassay. METHODS: Three kinds of extracellular fluid were randomly sampled: amniotic fluid (13 samples), cervical mucus (10 samples), coloster (20 samples). The inclusion criteria concerning the selection of the donor women were: age (fertile period), healthy state and pregnancy state. All the samples underwent protein assay, electrophoresis and western blot. RESULTS: All the samples examined revealed NGAL's presence. CONCLUSIONS: The positive results of this study seem to strengthen the hypothesis related to NGAL biological functions, specifically the ones that suggest its role into cell differentiation, embryonic development and inflammation. Therefore the female reproductive tract is suggested as a new promising study object in this research field.

[Benign uterine pathology in premenopause and transvaginal sonohysterography: personal experience]. / Patologia uterina benigna in premenopausa e isterosonografia transvaginale: Nostra esperienza.

BACKGROUND: In this study we report our experience about hysterosonography and its use for the diagnosis of benign uterine pathology in premenopausal women referred to our Hospital. METHODS: From May to October 2000, 58 patients underwent transvaginal sonohysterography. They referred to our Ultrasonography Center because of sterility, intermenstrual bleedings, menometrorrhagias or anomalous endometrial echopatterns which had been found by basal transvaginal ultrasound examination. All patients were in fertile age and were examined during the follicular phase of the ovarian cycle. The hysterosonographic examination consisted in introducing 20 cc of a physiological solution by catheter with inflating balloon for hysterosalpingography and assessment of the uterine cavity was possible thanks to the acoustic window created by the fluid which gradually distended the cavity itself. We considered as failures of the techniques those cases in which the profile of endometrial cavity was not clearly visualized. RESULTS: Sonohysterography was performable in 52 of the 58 patients. The failure of examination in 3 cases was due to inadequate distention of the uterine cavity, in 2 cases to cervical stenosis and in 1 case to the reflux of the contrast medium. Diagnosis effected with sonohysterography revealed 3 uterus bicornis, 16 endometrial polyps and 9 submucosal myomas. No ultrasound anomalies were found in 23 patients. All the women underwent a subsequent hysteroscopy which confirmed our ultrasound diagnosis. CONCLUSIONS: Our study shows that sonohysterography allows to obtain a precise diagnosis of benign uterine pathology, which generally basal transvaginal ultrasonography can only suspect. The applicability of positive and negative predictive values, of the sensitivity and specificity is limited by the small number of cases included in the study. The role of sonohysterography is more difficult to define when compared to hysteroscopy. The conclusion is drawn that this new method offers an important aid for gynecological diagnosis of benign pathology.

Endometriosis arises from implant of endometriotic cells outside the uterus: a report of active vesicouterine centrifugal fistula.

Vesicouterine fistula is rare, accounting for nearly 4% of all urogenital fistulas. Lower segment cesarean delivery is the main predisposing event but in the last few years other possible predisposing factors have been pointed out. Clinically, it can show itself in different forms and the diagnosis is often delayed although it is not difficult. We report our experience about a case of postcesarean vesicouterine fistula arising on a focus of vesical endometriosis and we discuss an eventual hypothetical pathogenetic correlation between bladder endometriosis and uterovesical fistula.

[The role of transvaginal ultrasound and sonohysterography in the diagnosis and staging of endometrial adenocarcinoma]. / Ecografia transvaginale e isterosonografia nella diagnosi e nella stadiazione dell'adenocarcinoma dell'endometrio.

PURPOSE: The aim of this study is to evaluate the accuracy of sonohysterography in early diagnosis of endometrial tumor lesions and in the detection of myometrial infiltration for staging. MATERIAL AND METHODS: We performed sonohysterography as a preoperative test in 24 patients with an hystologic diagnosis of endometrial adenocarcinoma obtained by hysteroscopy and biopsy. The mean age of the patient was between 50 and 82 years. The sonohysterographic examination was performed by using 5.0 and 6.0 MHz transvaginal probes and a 5 or 7 French hysteroinjectors with inflating balloon. 19 of the 24 patients were enrolled in the study: in 2 cases the examination was not technically performable, 2 patients refused surgical treatment and 1 patient had a cervical adenocarcinoma with extension to the myometrium. In each patient we evaluated the number and the size of the lesions and the degree and the depth of myometrial infiltration. Each parameter was compared with the final histopathologic examination. RESULTS: Sonohysterography showed a single lesion in 15 patients, whereas in 4 patients it showed multiple lesions; in 1 of these patients it showed 3 lesions which were, in reality, a single lesion that infiltrated the first half of the myometrium. Myometrial infiltration was correctly evaluated by the examination in 17 of the 19 women (89.4%): 16 positive and 1 negative case. The sensitivity was 88%, the specificity 100%, the positive predictive value 100% and the negative predictive value 33%. The sonohysterography allowed to evaluate exactly the depth of myometrial invasion in 15 of the 16 cases (93.7%), in which a myometrial infiltration was suspected. With regard to this parameter the sensitivity was 85.7%, the specificity was 100%, the positive predictive value 100% and the negative predictive value 90.9%. CONCLUSIONS: Although the introduction of transvaginal ultrasonography in clinical practice allows to obtain an early diagnosis of endometrial adenocarcinoma, about half patients seems to present already at the diagnosis myometrial invasion. Moreover 50% of these patients seems to have pelvic lymphonodes and about 29% positive paraaortic lymphonodes. Currently myometrial invasion is evaluated by the extemporary frozen test and confirmed by the definitive hystologic examination. It would be helpful to have a technique able to detect and evaluate infiltration before surgery. The results of this study suggest that sonohysterography could have a role in preoperative staging. However these data need to be confirmed by further studies.

[Vesicouterine fistula and bladder endometriosis. A case report]. / Fistola vescicouterina ed endometriosi vesicale.

Vesicouterine fistula is rare, accounting nearly 4% of all urogenital fistulas. Cesarean delivery through uterine lower segment is the main predisposing event but in the last years other possible predisposing factors have been pointed out. Clinically, it can occur in different forms and the diagnosis is often delayed although it is not difficult. In this study personal experience in a case of postcesarean vesicouterine fistula arisen on a focus of bladder endometriosis is reported and an eventual hypothetical pathogenetic correlation between bladder endometriosis and vesicouterine fistula is discussed.

Transvaginal ultrasonography and hysterosonography to monitor endometrial effects in tamoxifen-treated patients.

PURPOSE OF INVESTIGATION: Our purpose was to evaluate if, during tamoxifen treatment, hysterosonography may increase diagnostic accuracy when compared with transvaginal ultrasonography and to identify, when and in how many cases, further biopsies may be avoided. METHODS: We performed transvaginal utrasound in 310 asymptomatic women under tamoxifen treatment, using 8 mm endometrial thickness as the cut-off. One hundred and seven patients with an endometrium thicker than 8 mm were enrolled for hysterosonography. Parameters to be evaluated by transvaginal ultrasound and hysterosonography were thickness and structural features of the endometrium. It was possible to compare ultrasound examinations with histopathological findings obtained by biopsy in 83 patients. RESULTS: Globally only ten patients from the study cohort had true endometrial pathology. Based on structural features of the endometrium, we found a global accuracy of 95.6%, with 2.8% false negatives and 4.1% false positives. CONCLUSION: Hysterosonography can increase diagnostic accuracy during tamoxifen treatment and may allow further invasive investigations to be avoided in patients with suggestive hysterosonographic features.

[Preoperative autologous blood donation and transfusion in gynecology]. / Predeposito e trasfusione di sangue autologo in ginecologia.

BACKGROUND: Autologous transfusions reduce the risk of alloimmune and infectious complications of allogenic blood transfusions. We have evaluated preoperative autologous blood donation practice in relation to patients characteristics and surgical technique. METHODS: In the Obstetrics and Gynecology Department of Genoa University, we enrolled 462 patients in an autologous transfusion program during 1997. We did not analyze 105 patients who underwent minor surgery. Patients with hemoglobin lower than 11 g/dl or with other risks related to autotransfusion have been excluded; 284 (79.5%) patients have been able to make preoperative autologous blood donations. Patients who did not undergo predeposit have utilised type screen or cross reaction for a possible who did eterologous transfusion. We have analysed the two groups of patients for kind of pathology, for number of heterologous blood units used, for number of transfused patients and we have considered the mean of the units received by each of them. RESULTS: 44 of the 284 predeposited blood units were reinfused while 10 patients, who did not undergo predeposit, were transfused. Heterologous transfusion was done in 1.06% of the cases that underwent predeposit. Oncologic patients underwent predeposit in 83% of the cases. CONCLUSIONS: We have concluded that autologous blood donation reduces the risk of allogenic blood transfusion especially in oncologic surgery.

Pseudoxanthoma elasticum and pregnancy: a case report.

BACKGROUND: Pseudoxanthoma elasticum (PXE) is a rare hereditary disease characterised by systemic degeneration of elastic tissue. Calcification of elastic fibres seen histologically is pathognomonic for the disorder. Most pseudoxanthoma elasticum patients show no serious complications during pregnancy. CASE: We report a case of a 29-year-old white woman with pseudoxanthoma elasticum, who delivered a healthy infant at the 35th week by cesarean section after an uneventful pregnancy. Sonographic and histological placental findings are described. CONCLUSION: Pregnancy in a patient with pseudoxanthoma elasticum presents some problems such as the evolution of the disease in the soon to be mother and the influence of the disease on the pregnancy. In our case there were no fetal-maternal complications related to the disease except skin lesion aggravation.

[Guaranteeing fetal well-being in water childbirth: is it possible?]. / Garantire il benessere fetale durante il parto in acqua: è possibile?

The criteria, which a modern obstetric department is based on, are to deliver serenely and naturally according to the mother's personal exigencies and preserving the child's right to his/her own safety. The attempt to offer the woman a natural place with respect for these principles has improved the knowledge about the physiologic changes of the female organism during labour and water birth. Our experience about water birth began on 1st of July 2000, the day of the inauguration of the new birth room of the maternal-infantile department of the hospital of Lavagna. We nursed 15 women during labour and water birth, 11 were multiparas, 4 were primiparas, the average age was 31-year-old. We used the existing criteria of maternal and fetal selection for the care of physiologic water birth with a low risk. Particularly, the fetal heart rate was monitored at least for 30 minutes before the immersion into water and then at scheduled intervals during labour. To this purpose we used a cardiotocograph provided with an ultrasound probe (with high density of crystals) and with a toco (with high sensitivity), both waterproof and wireless. In our sample the episiotomy was not performed and 3rd degree lacerations did not happen. The neonatal average weight was 3100 gr for the primiparas and 3040 gr for the multiparas, respectively. The Apgar measurement was never lower than 8. The average time of labour was 6 hours for the group of the primiparas and 4.25 hours for the multiparas, respectively. In conclusion the monitoring of fetal welfare during water labour does not substantially differ from the monitoring of traditional labour, but it requires specific equipments.

[Endometrial adenocarcinoma appearing during tamoxifen therapy. Report of a clinical case]. / Adenocarcinoma dell'endometrio insorto durante terapia con tamoxifene. Descrizione di un caso clinico.

Tamoxifen is a non-steroid estrogenic antagonist, used in post-surgical therapy of breast cancer. It interferes with endocrinous promotion of breast cancer. Tamoxifen could determine endometrial, even carcinomatous, alterations. The case of a postmenopausal patient surgically treated for breast cancer and successively treated with tamoxifen (20 mg/die), is reported. She underwent ultrasonographic and hysterosonographic endometrial evaluation and finally a hysterectomy with bilateral annessiectomy. This case seems to confirm tamoxifen possible carcinogenical effects on the endometrium.

[Risk factors and protective factors in a population a risk for newborn necrotizing enterocolitis]. / Fattori di rischio e fattori protettivi in una popolazione esposta a enterocolite necrotizzante neonatale.

NEC represents the most common gastrointestinal disorder in newborn. Its range varies from 1% to 7.7% and is frequently associated with factors such as intestinal ischaemia, prematurity, gastrointestinal infection and early and rapid enteral feeding. Between 15/1/1990 and 15/6/1995, 129 critically ill newborns were admitted in NICU of Policlinico S. Orsola-Bologna. We examined only 93 patients, hospitalized for over 48 hours, presenting one or more risk factors for the development of NEC, such as birthweight < 2000 gm, respiratory distress, gastrointestinal bacterial colonization, sepsis, PDA and use of umbilical catheters. The aim of the study was to evaluate NEC incidence in newborns exposed to this complication and the analysis of risk factors associated with the elements of prevention and protection. No cases of NEC were observed despite the high incidence of risk factors. The newborns studied were divided in six different groups with increasing risk factors. Among the prevention elements of NEC, every patient was treated by nutrition, at first exclusively by TPN followed by careful enteral feeding (< 20 ml/kg/die) and the improvement of mesenteric blood flow by dopamine (2-3 mcg/kg/min); other preventive treatments were given according to clinical condition: dobutamine (5-10 mcg/kg/min in 51 ps.) to improve the cardiovascular function, gastrointestinal decontamination (8 ps.), antibiotic therapy (81 ps.), in cases of diagnosed infection and intravenous immunoglobulin (25 ps.) after discovering low ematic values. Analyzing the treatments and their day numbers in the 6 groups of patients no statistically significant differences were evident. On the contrary, dividing the patients into 3 groups according to GA (< 30 w, 30-35 w, > 35 w) an extension in treatment time is more evident in the group of GA < 30 weeks. Our therapeutic behaviour, based on respect of gastrointestinal blood flow, careful and gradual enteral feeding and prevention, constant monitoring and infection treatment, has been useful to stop the NEC incidence.

[Infusion constituents in pediatric anesthesia]. / Apporti infusionali in anestesia pediatrica.

A suitable perioperative fluid therapy during paediatric anaesthesia presupposes a valuation of renal function and the preoperative fluid and electrolyte imbalance, a precise knowledge of fluid requirements and the physiological stress responses to surgery in different paediatric groups. Fluid administration must be suited to the pathology of the patients and surgical approach. It must replace the deficits from the preoperative status (including fasting), provide maintenance fluid and correct intraoperative translocated fluids and blood loss. Fluid management requires reduced hypotonic solution in order to prevent hyponatremia and avoid excessive amount of glucose which can be harmful. In order to prevent the dangers from blood transfusions you need to estimate the intraoperative loss and follow the "acceptable hematocrit" values. Rational intraoperative fluid management reduces perioperative morbidity and mortality.

[Methicillin-resistant staphylococci in pediatric resuscitation]. / Stafilococchi meticillino-resistenti in rianimazione pediatrica.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the incidence of colonization and infection by methicillin-resistant in PICU. DESIGN: Prospective cohort study during 2 years for the surveillance of nosocomial infections. SETTING: Four beds Pediatric Intensive Care Unit. PATIENTS: We studied two-hundred patients with duration of hospitalization longer than 24 hours out of the 255 patients who were hospitalized during the same period. METHODS: The patients were divided in two groups according to the presence or the absence of MRS. The difference of the two populations were compared using the t-test and the CATANOVA: Wilcoxon's test was used to analyze the relation between the two values. The results were significant when p = 0.05 and Ct = 3.81. RESULTS: Fourty patients (20%) were colonized or infected by MRS with two seasonal peaks which were not correlated with the amount of index work. Nine patients were already colonized at entrance in PICU (4.5%) and the rate of infected patients versus infections was 1.5% (3 patients with 3 clinical manifestations). The presence of MRS in the different sections of the hospital could be shown. The rate of PICU-acquired colonization was 12.5% (25), the rate of PICU-acquired infected patients was only 2% (4), the infections rate was 3.5% (7 events). The average time which occurred the colonization by MRS to happen was 10,1 days from the day of hospitalization on, which is longer than that of the other germs (p = 0.001). Clinically the infection by MRS was localized as follows: 3 septicemiae, 2 pneumoniae and 2 muco-cutaneous infections. Most the patients with carriage of the MRS were prematures or newborns who had a long stay in PICU, who underwent invasive diagnostic and therapeutic treatment and who had a previously long stay in other department of the hospital. The stay in the PICU lasted longer in those patients who had a MRS carriage. They furthermore had a lower mortality rate (12.5%) than the other patients (Cc = 0.976); the 4 infected patients survived. CONCLUSIONS: The clinical impact of MRS in terms of morbidity and mortality in this PICU is modest. The prevention and limitation of the spread of MRS could be obtained by simple but essential measures of control.

Intensive care units as a source of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus.

Over a 12 month period, 209 isolates of methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) were obtained in 39 patients admitted to an ICU. In 23 patients MRSA was the major pathogen, producing either pneumonia, bacteremia or wound infection. In eight patients death was directly related to the MRSA infection. This study suggests an increasing occurrence of MRSA infections in ICU and the need to adopt control measures.