Reengineering academic departments of obstetrics and gynecology to operate in a pandemic world and beyond: a joint American Gynecological and Obstetrical Society and Council of University Chairs of Obstetrics and Gynecology statement.

The coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic has significantly disrupted operations in academic departments of obstetrics and gynecology throughout the United States and will continue to affect them in the foreseeable future. It has also created an environment conducive to innovation and the accelerated implementation of new ideas. These departments will need to adapt their operations to accommodate coronavirus disease 2019 and to continue to meet their tripartite mission of clinical excellence, medical education, and women's health research. This "Call to Action" paper from the leaders of American Gynecological and Obstetrical Society and Council of University Chairs of Obstetrics and Gynecology provides a framework to help the leaders of departments of obstetrics and gynecology reimagine and reengineer their operations in light of the current coronavirus disease 2019 crisis and future pandemics.

MRI visible Fe3O4 polypropylene mesh: 3D reconstruction of spatial relation to bony pelvis and neurovascular structures.

INTRODUCTION AND HYPOTHESIS: To demonstrate mesh magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) visibility in living women, the feasibility of reconstructing the full mesh course in 3D, and to document its spatial relationship to pelvic anatomical structures. METHODS: This is a proof of concept study of three patients from a prospective multi-center trial evaluating women with anterior vaginal mesh repair using a MRI-visible Fe3O4 polypropylene implant for pelvic floor reconstruction. High-resolution sagittal T2-weighted (T2w) sequences, transverse T1-weighted (T1w) FLASH 2D, and transverse T1w FLASH 3D sequences were performed to evaluate Fe3O4 polypropylene mesh MRI visibility and overall post-surgical pelvic anatomy 3 months after reconstructive surgery. Full mesh course in addition to important pelvic structures were reconstructed using the 3D Slicer® software program based on T1w and T2w MRI. RESULTS: Three women with POP-Q grade III cystoceles were successfully treated with a partially absorbable MRI-visible anterior vaginal mesh with six fixation arms and showed no recurrent cystocele at the 3-month follow-up examination. The course of mesh in the pelvis was visible on MRI in all three women. The mesh body and arms could be reconstructed allowing visualization of the full course of the mesh in relationship to important pelvic structures such as the obturator or pudendal vessel nerve bundles in 3D. CONCLUSIONS: The use of MRI-visible Fe3O4 polypropylene meshes in combination with post-surgical 3D reconstruction of the mesh and adjacent structures is feasible suggesting that it might be a useful tool for evaluating mesh complications more precisely and a valuable interactive feedback tool for surgeons and mesh design engineers.

The physical finding of stress urinary incontinence among African women in Ghana.

The aim of this study is to determine the proportion of women with the physical sign of stress urinary incontinence in a sample of Ghanaian women. Two hundred randomly selected women from attendants at a convenience selected ultrasound clinic were interviewed about symptoms of urinary incontinence. A paper towel test was performed to objectively demonstrate the physical sign of stress urinary incontinence as leakage on coughing. Forty-two percent of the women had a positive paper towel test. The two major symptoms reported by the women with positive paper towel test were (1) loss of urine while waiting to use the toilet (48.2%) and (2) loss of urine on coughing (43.4%) in daily life. The physical sign of stress urinary incontinence could be present in up to 42% of Ghanaian women.