Benefits associated with harmonic tissue imaging in the obstetric patient.

OBJECTIVE: We sought to determine the impact of harmonic tissue imaging on image resolution and visualization of fetal structures during obstetric ultrasonography. STUDY DESIGN: Patients with singleton second- or third-trimester fetuses were recruited. Prospective comparisons of conventional fundamental imaging and harmonic tissue imaging were made. Visualization rates and frequencies of improvement in resolution were calculated. Discriminate function analysis evaluated determinants of improved visualization. RESULTS: Harmonic tissue imaging improved resolution of at least one fetal structure in 51.4% of patients studied. Differences were most marked for 4-chamber views of the heart with improvement in resolution in 30.5% of patients and change in ability to visualize in 9.5%. Maternal weight and gestational age had a significant influence on whether improvements were noted with harmonic tissue imaging, accounting for 27% of the variance. CONCLUSIONS: Harmonic tissue imaging offers significant improvements over fundamental imaging in image resolution and structure visualization in obese patients during the second trimester of pregnancy.

Idiopathic granulomatous angiitis of the central nervous system in pregnancy: the first case report.

Idiopathic granulomatous angiitis of the central nervous system (IGANS) is a rare vasculitis primarily affecting the spinal cord and brain not related to any underlying systemic disease. Clinical manifestations range from simple headache to cerebral vascular accidents secondary to vascular occlusion. The management of a pregnancy complicated by multiple risk factors including underlying IGANS is reported. An expectant, empiric approach was adopted and resulted in excellent maternal and neonatal outcomes. The first report of the management of a pregnancy complicated by IGANS is presented. Underlying maternal IGANS may not necessarily represent an indication for pregnancy termination.

The genetic implication for preceding generations of the prenatal diagnosis of interrupted aortic arch in association with unsuspected DiGeorge anomaly.

We present a case of prenatally diagnosed interrupted aortic arch with a ventricular septal defect in the presence of maternal congenital heart disease, which led to the detection of segmental monosomy of chromosome 22q11.2 in both patients. The implications of detecting a microdeletion and the importance of a multidisciplinary approach to prenatal diagnosis and counseling are discussed.

Immediate delivery room repair of fetal abdominal wall defects.

Eighteen patients with a prenatal diagnosis of fetal abdominal wall defect were delivered by cesarean section and repaired either immediately (begun within 15 min, n = 9), or by the traditional (delayed) method (n = 9, average delay = 4.4 h). Neonates repaired immediately had comparable gestational ages and birthweight, however, subjectively had less edematous bowel with less fibrous peel. These fetuses were more likely to be closed primarily (7/9 vs. 4/9), spent less time on a ventilator (8.1 vs. 17.9 days), seemed to be fed sooner (7.6 vs. 17.9 days), and discharged home earlier (14.3 vs. 24.0 days). Our results suggest that for fetuses delivered by cesarean section, early defect repair may reduce bowel edema and fibrous peel formation thus facilitating primary closure, with earlier ventilator weaning, feeding and discharge home.

Acute iron intoxication in pregnancy: case report and review of the literature.

Limited reports exist regarding acute iron intoxication during pregnancy. The maternal and fetal effects of accidental or deliberate ingestion of large amounts of iron may be catastrophic. A case report of acute iron intoxication, management strategies, and a review of the literature are presented. The cornerstones of effective therapy are aggressive management with emesis induction or gastric lavage, bicarbonate instillation, vigorous intravenous hydration, and chelation therapy with deferoxamine.

Prenatal diagnosis of duplication cyst of the pylorus.

The first description of the antenatal appearance of a duplication cyst of the pylorus is presented. Prior to the infant's delivery, the possibility that this intra-abdominal cystic mass represented a choledochal cyst was also strongly considered. The antenatal detection of this cystic mass allowed close neonatal surveillance and timely surgical intervention prior to the onset of serious neonatal complications. The embryogenesis of duplication cysts of the gastrointestinal tract and bronchopulmonary foregut malformations is reviewed. The clinical utility of the prenatal diagnosis of such fetal gastrointestinal anomalies is also discussed.

An evaluation of antenatal fetal acoustic stimulation.

Fetal heart rate reactivity was evaluated following acoustic stimulation testing (AST). The AST and NST (non-stress test) were compared with regards to certain adverse perinatal outcome criteria, and in a selected sample of cases, to other surveillance tests. These tests were the oxytocin challenge test (OCT) and biophysical profile (BPP). 479 tests were performed on 240 high-risk patients. The AST significantly increased fetal heart rate reactivity. With regards adverse perinatal outcome criteria, there was no significant difference between the AST and NST in relation to sensitivity, specificity or predictive values. In the 38 patients with both non-reactive NSTs and reactive ASTs, 5 (13.5%) had immediate follow-up surveillance tests (OCTs and/or BPPs) that were non-reassuring and necessitated delivery. In four of the five cases, there was evidence of potential fetal compromise. These preliminary observations suggest that the AST may have evoked reactivity in fetuses with early compromise, and raise concerns about replacing the NST with the AST as a primary screening test of fetal well-being.

Diabetic retinopathy in pregnancy: a review.

Diabetic retinopathy is the leading cause of blindness between the ages of 24-64 years. The first half of this period corresponds to peak fertility and the childbearing years. The effects of pregnancy on diabetic retinopathy are unclear, but recent studies suggest that pregnancy may be less harmful to the retina of the diabetic subject than was thought previously. Nevertheless, there is reason to believe that at least some women experience a worsening of their retinopathy as a result of pregnancy. Thus, careful ophthalmic evaluation and follow-up are essential for the pregnant woman with diabetes. This should include a minimum of one complete eye examination every trimester and within 3 months postpartum. Color fundus photography and laser treatment are safe, whereas fluorescein angiography, although commonly used to evaluate retinal vascular disease, can usually be avoided during pregnancy.

Conservative management of second-trimester post-amniocentesis fluid leakage.

During a 32-month period, 603 genetic amniocenteses were performed in our institution, and seven patients (1.2%) experienced fluid leakage within 24 hours of the procedure. All seven patients were hospitalized for strict bed rest and expectant management. Cessation of amniotic fluid leakage and reaccumulation of normal amniotic fluid occurred within 7 days in all cases. Six patients were delivered at term of appropriately grown infants without complication. One patient experienced an intrauterine death at 25 weeks' gestation (6 weeks after the occurrence of fluid leakage secondary to genetic amniocentesis). Although limited by the small number of patients, our experience suggests the following: 1) Appropriate respect for potential complications of genetic amniocentesis is still warranted; 2) expectant management of patients who experience membrane rupture after genetic amniocentesis may be associated with a good perinatal outcome; and 3) membrane rupture after genetic amniocentesis may represent a fundamentally different etiologic entity than spontaneous rupture of the membranes in the second trimester not associated with genetic amniocentesis.

The physician factor in cesarean birth rates.

To investigate the influence of physicians' practice styles on the rate of deliveries by cesarean section, we studied 1533 affluent women at low risk of obstetrical complications who were cared for by 11 obstetricians in a single community hospital. The mean rate of delivery by cesarean section was 26.9 percent, but the rate ranged from 19.1 to 42.3 percent, according to the physician. The mean rate of primary cesarean section (i.e., the rate for women without previous cesarean deliveries) was 17.2, with a range of 9.6 to 31.8 percent. A stepwise logistic-regression model of the determinants of primary cesarean section, including the individual physician, parity, birth weight, and maternal age and excluding specific medical indications, showed that only nulliparity (P less than 0.0001) was more important than the identity of the physician (P less than 0.001) in its influence on the rate of cesarean section. Variation in cesarean-section rates among physicians was not attributable to the practice setting, the patient population, the degree of obstetrical risk, or the physician's recent medicolegal experience, and it was not accompanied by corresponding differences in neonatal outcome. We conclude that individual practice style may be an important determinant of the wide variations in the rates of cesarean delivery among obstetricians. Our data do not permit us to say with certainty whether the procedure is overused by some obstetricians or underused by others, but we found no obvious differences in neonatal outcome associated with differences in the cesarean-section rate.

Management of uterine hyperstimulation after prostaglandin E2 administration.

Recent literature suggests that intravaginal or intracervical application of prostaglandin E2 gel may be an effective agent for cervical ripening. One potentially disastrous reported side effect is uterine hyperstimulation. This case report represents the first description of the successful management of uterine hyperstimulation with intravenous ritodrine therapy after the intravaginal administration of prostaglandin E2.

Anicteric presentation of fatal herpetic hepatitis in pregnancy.

Herpes simplex virus hepatitis in pregnancy was first reported in 1969. Seven other cases have since been reported, and this communication describes two additional cases. The clinical presentation and laboratory profiles of these two cases parallel those described. Unreported, however, is the sharp contrast between the presentation of pregnant patients with herpes simplex virus hepatitis and the presentation of pregnant patients with other life-threatening forms of hepatitis. Nine of ten patients reported to date have been anicteric with peak total bilirubin levels of less than 1.3 mg/dL before cesarean section or laparotomy. That this presentation may not be unique to pregnancy is suggested by three case reports of fatal, anicteric herpes simplex virus hepatitis in previously healthy, nonpregnant adults. The cause of this phenomenon is unknown.