Factors associated with delivery at or after 28 weeks gestation in women with bulging fetal membranes before 26 weeks gestation.

OBJECTIVE: To elucidate the factors that contribute to prolonged pregnancy and promote neonate survival in women with bulging fetal membranes. METHODS: A database was reviewed to identify women with singleton pregnancies who underwent amniocentesis on admission to determine amniotic fluid neutrophil elastase levels before 26 + 0 weeks gestation between July 2001 and January 2015. Following delivery, the placentas of these patients were examined for histologic chorioamnionitis. RESULTS: Ninety-seven women delivered before 28 weeks gestation, and 117 women delivered at or after 28 weeks gestation. Rescue cerclage performed via the McDonald procedure (adjusted odds ratio [aOR]: 3.78; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.35-11.80) was associated with a higher likelihood of reaching at least 28 weeks gestation before delivery, whereas protruding membranes (aOR: 0.38; 95% CI: 0.18-0.78), elevated amniotic neutrophil elastase levels (≥0.15 µg/ml) (aOR, 0.41; 95% CI: 0.20-0.82) and elevated peripheral C-reactive protein levels (≥0.4 mg/dl) (aOR: 0.34; 95% CI: 0.180.65) were associated with a significantly reduced likelihood of reaching this gestational age before delivery. Among women who underwent rescue cerclage, amniorrhexis was associated with a negative prognosis (aOR: 0.18; 95% CI: 0.05-0.51). CONCLUSIONS: Intra-amniotic inflammation, protrusion of fetal membranes and amniorrhexis are factors that may prevent pregnancy prolongation. Rescue cerclage improves pregnancy outcomes.

The levels of the neutrophil elastase in the amniotic fluid of pregnant women whose infants develop bronchopulmonary dysplasia.

OBJECTIVE: To clarify the association between amniotic neutrophil elastase levels and the development of bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD). METHODS: The database between July 2001 and December 2012 was reviewed for women with amniocentesis on admission for amniotic fluid neutrophil elastase levels and with singleton deliveries between 22 + 0 and 31 + 6 weeks of gestation. Following deliveries, placentas were examined for histologic chorioamnionitis. The peripheral blood of the neonates was analyzed for acute phase reactants. RESULTS: Among 294 infants, no, mild, moderate or severe BPD was observed in 126, 89, 40 and 39 infants, respectively. The medians of gestational age on admission, at premature rupture of membranes and at delivery were significantly smaller in BPD (+) when compared with BPD (-) (p < 0.001). The median level of amniotic neutrophil elastase on admission was significantly greater in BPD (+) than that in BPD (-). Histologic chorioamnionitis and funisitis were both detected more frequently in BPD (+) patients than in BPD (-) patients. In a logistic regression model, the only variable that affected an increased chance of BPD was the gestational age at delivery (odds ratio, 0.58; 95% confidence interval, 0.36-0.92; p = 0.021). CONCLUSIONS: The level of amniotic neutrophil elastase cannot be a definitive risk factor for BPD.

Fetal heart rate pattern interpretation in the second stage of labor using the five-tier classification: impact of the degree and duration on severe fetal acidosis.

AIM: The aim of this study was to clarify the association between fetal heart rate (FHR) tracing interpretation levels in the second stage of labor and poor fetal acid-base balance. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The database at one tertiary hospital in Nagoya, Japan, was retrospectively reviewed for women with singleton fetuses in cephalic presentation and vaginal labor at ≥37 + 0 gestational weeks between 1 June 2011 and 30 April 2012. Continuous FHR tracings in the second stage of labor were subdivided into 15-min intervals, each of which we called a window, from the beginning of labor through delivery, and were assessed according to the five-tier classification proposed by the Japan Society of Obstetrics and Gynecology, in which level 1 is normal, level 2 is subnormal, and levels 3-5 are abnormal patterns. RESULTS: In total, 777 parturient women were eligible for the study protocol. The numbers of women with maximal levels of 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 were 3, 77, 341, 349, and 7, respectively. No cases of severe fetal acidosis (pH < 7.0 or base excess <-12 mmol/L) were recorded when the maximal levels were below 3. Both the pH and base excess of the umbilical artery decreased with higher levels of FHR tracings interpretation (P < 0.001). Both the summations of level-4 windows and level-3 and level-4 windows were significantly higher in women with severe fetal acidosis than in women without (P < 0.001), indicating that the duration of abnormal levels is associated with severe fetal acidosis. CONCLUSIONS: Both the degree and duration of FHR tracing abnormalities correlate with severe fetal acidosis.

[Granulosa cell tumor of the ovary - analysis of 15 cases in a single institution].

The best treatment for recurrent granulosa cell tumor(GCT)is considered to be surgical resection, because the effects of chemotherapy or radiation on GCT are obscure. The common site of recurrence is the pelvic cavity, including the surface of the liver and intestine as tumor-dissemination-patterns. Between June 1988 and June 2011, we treated 15 patients with GCT at our hospital. The median follow-up time was 56(22-286)months. Ten patients were stage I, 3 were stage II, and 2 were stage III. No patients had residual lesions at the primary surgery area. Six patients have recurred, and the median disease free survival(DFS)was 85(15-128)months. Six patients had relapses in the pelvic cavity, 2 in the retroperitneal lymph nodes, and 1 in the upper abdomen. Two patients relapsed more than twice; however, the rapid detection of recurrence and surgical resection have kept all patients alive. Thirteen patients have no evidence of disease(NED), 2 are alive with disease(AWD), and no one has died of the disease(DOD). We suggest that maximal debulking surgery to achieve complete cytoreduction of recurrent GCT is the most important treatment for prolonging survival.