A Retrospective Cohort Study to Determine Whether the Previous Route of Delivery Affects the Uterine Artery Blood Flow.

INTRODUCTION:  In our study, we aimed to investigate the effect of the previous delivery route on uterine artery pulsatility index (PI) and obstetric outcome. We aim to assess the effects of previous cesarean delivery (CD) and placental location on first- and second-trimester uterine artery Doppler indices as well as first-trimester pregnancy-associated plasma protein-A (PAPP-A) multiples of the median (MoM) levels in the subsequent pregnancy. MATERIALS AND METHODS:  We designed a retrospective cohort study to collect the participants' clinical and uterine artery Doppler. Data regarding pregnant women's first- and second-trimester exams, who were referred to our maternal-fetal medicine unit, were collected from hospital records between June 2015 and December 2019. RESULTS:  Uterine artery PI MoM values were not different between the cases with the anterior and non-anterior placental locations. No significant difference was found in the first- and second-trimester uterine artery PI MoM values by delivery route (p = 0.57). However, the intrauterine growth restriction rate was higher in the CD group (p < 0.001). CONCLUSION:  In this study, we compared the uterine blood flow indices between the previous cesarean and vaginal delivery groups. We observed no significant difference between the patients with different delivery routes.

Marsupialization versus Word catheter in the treatment of Bartholin cyst or abscess: retrospective cohort study

Objective: Bartholin cysts or abscesses are observed in approximately 2% of women, usually in their reproductive years. Although none of the treatments appear to be superior, there are several options including drainage with basic incision, Word catheter application, marsupialization, silver nitrate application, and excision. The primary outcome in this study was to evaluate the recurrence rates in patients who underwent marsupialization or Word catheter for the treatment of Bartholin cyst or abscesses, and the secondary outcome was to evaluate the rates of patient satisfaction. Material and Methods: A total of 196 patients who underwent either Word catheterization or marsupialization for the treatment of Bartholin cyst or abscesses between 2014 and 2017 were included in this retrospective cohort study. The size and location of the cyst/abscess, the operation duration, and the recurrence was recorded. A 5-point visual analog scale (VAS) was used to assess patient satisfaction and whether patients would recommend thier treatment to others. Results: Recurrence was observed in 11 (8.3%) patients in the marsupialization group, and 12 (18.8%) patients in the Word catheter group (p=0.034). Median (range) VAS scores in the marsupialization group were better than the Word catheter group [4 (1-5) vs 3 (1-5); p<0.001]. Conclusion: Higher recurrence rate and dissatisfaction level were found in the Word catheter group. The only advantage of using Word catheter was its short operation time. These results appear to show that marsupialization should be the first-line treatment for Bartholin cysts and abscesses. However, the small number of cases and the retrospective nature of this study mean that larger, prospective studies are required to support this hypothesis.

Effect of analgesia with pethidine during labour on false positivity of newborn hearing screening test.

OBJECTIVES: Newborn hearing screening may fail due to some perinatal and neonatal factors. False positivity of newborn hearing screening increases costs, familial concerns and anxiety. The objective of this study was to determine the effects of pethidine administered in the mother for labor analgesia on the false positivity rates of the newborn hearing screening test. METHODS: This study was designed as a retrospective and cross-sectional study. A total of 75 pregnant women scheduled for vaginal delivery who received 50 mg intramuscular pethidine at the beginning of the active phase of the labor were included as the patient group and 68 pregnant women who did not receive pethidine as the control group. A total of 143 infants born with vaginal delivery were evaluated with otoacoustic emission (OAE) test before discharge. Perinatal and neonatal variables and test outcomes were recorded, and the correlation between false positivity rate and pethidine usage was evaluated. RESULTS: Initially, system records of 148 healthy term newborns were screened. Four patients who failed in both OAE tests and were referred to the Automated Auditory Brainstem Response (AABR) test and one patient who failed in all tests (first OAE, control OAE and AABR) and was referred to an upper center for further investigations and treatment were excluded from the study. No statistically significant difference was found between the groups in terms of birth features. First stage OAE test was reported as 'passed' in 8 (10.7%) and 58 (85.3%) newborns in the study and control groups, respectively; while OAE was reported as 'referred' and 'passed' in the second test in 67 (89.3%) and 10 (14.7%) newborns in the study and control groups, respectively. There was a statistically significant difference between both groups in terms of false positivity ratio (p < 0.5). CONCLUSION: Pethidine significantly decreases the duration of the active phase, providing a good analgesic effect for pain management during labor. Therefore, it seems that pethidine can be used as an acceptable agent during labor. However, it may have neonatal effects after the delivery, causing false positivity in newborn hearing screening tests. The results of this study support the opinion that the OAE test should be performed in postpartum later dates in order to increase OAE passing rates and minimize costs and parents' concerns.

Comparison of two intraoperative examination methods for the diagnosis of sentinel lymph node metastasis in clinically early stage endometrial cancer: A Turkish Gynecologic Oncology Group Study (TRSGO-SLN-003).

OBJECTIVE: This study evaluated diagnostic accuracy of intraoperative sentinel lymph node (SLN) frozen section examination and scrape cytology as a possible solution for management of SLN positive patients. STUDY DESIGN: Clinically early-stage endometrial cancer patients who underwent SLN algorithm and intraoperative SLN examination were analyzed. Findings were compared with final pathology results and diagnostic accuracy of frozen section and scrape cytology were evaluated. RESULTS: Of the 208 eligible patients, 100 patients (48 %) had frozen section examination and 108 (52 %) had scrape cytology of the SLN. Intraoperative examination and final pathology were negative for metastasis in 187/208 (90 %) cases. The rest 21 cases had metastatic SLNs according to final pathology. 12 of 21 (57 %) metastases were classified as macrometastasis. Intraoperative examination of SLNs correctly identified 13 cases (true positive) and missed 8 cases (false negative). Five of 8 false negative cases had micrometastasis or isolated tumor cells. Considering identification of macrometastasis, sensitivity and negative predictive value were 85.71 % and 98.94 %, respectively, for the frozen section and 60.00 % and 98.15 %, respectively, for the scrape cytology. CONCLUSION: Frozen section examination of SLN has higher sensitivity in detecting macrometastasis compared to scrape cytology and it could help the surgeon in decision for further lymphadenectomy intraoperatively.

"Hey Siri! Perform a type 3 hysterectomy. Please watch out for the ureter!" What is autonomous surgery and what are the latest developments?

As a result of major advances in deep learning algorithms and computer processing power, there have been important developments in the fields of medicine and robotics. Although fully autonomous surgery systems where human impact will be minimized are still a long way off, systems with partial autonomy have gradually entered clinical use. In this review, articles on autonomous surgery classified and summarized, with the aim of informing the reader about questions such as "What is autonomic surgery?" and in which areas studies are progressing.

Comparison of factor XII levels in gestational diabetes, fetal macrosomia, and healthy pregnancies.

BACKGROUND: If not detected and treated, gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) can cause serious pregnancy complications such as macrosomia, preeclampsia, and fetal/neonatal mortality. Many studies have examined underlying contributing factors for GDM, including hypercoagulation. Factor XII (FXII) is a coagulation factor that increases throughout normal pregnancies, and we evaluated the relationship of GDM with FXII, FXIIa (activated FXII), and other coagulation parameter levels. GDM and macrosomia are closely related, but it is not known whether FXII could be an independent causal factor for macrosomia. METHODS: In this prospective study, blood samples were taken from 69 pregnant women at the time of term delivery to determine levels of FXII, FXIIa, and other coagulation parameters. Based on the results, pregnancies fell into GDM, non-diabetic with macrosomia (M), or healthy (C [control]). RESULTS: FXII concentration levels were significantly higher in GDM patients compared with the M and C groups. There were no significant differences when comparing FXIIa, activated partial thromboplastin time, prothrombin time (PT), and international normalized ratio. The GDM group saw a significant negative correlation between FXII concentrations and maternal pregestational body mass index (BMI) and BMI before delivery. In the M group, a positive correlation was observed between FXII concentrations and newborn weight and newborn weight percentile. CONCLUSIONS: An increase in FXII levels was observed in patients with gestational diabetes. Associations between coagulation parameters and GDM should be further analyzed to define the mechanisms of GDM and possible treatment modalities. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Our study has been registered at clinicaltrials.gov ( NCT03583216 ). Registered on July 11, 2018.

Combination of sentinel lymph node mapping and uterine frozen section examination to reduce side-specific lymphadenectomy rate in endometrial cancer: a Turkish Gynecologic Oncology Group study (TRSGO-SLN-002).

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to find out whether side-specific pelvic lymphadenectomy can be omitted without compromising diagnostic efficacy according to "reflex frozen section" analysis of the uterus in case of sentinel lymph node (SLN) mapping failure. METHODS: Patients who underwent surgery for endometrial cancer with an SLN algorithm were stratified as low-risk or high-risk according to the uterine features on the final pathology reports. Two models for low-risk patients were defined to omit side-specific pelvic lymphadenectomy: strategy A included patients with endometrioid histology, grade 1-2, and <50% myometrial invasion irrespective of the tumor diameter; strategy B included all factors of strategy A with the addition of tumor diameter ≤2 cm. Theoretical side-specific pelvic lymphadenectomy rates were calculated for the two strategies, assuming side-specific pelvic lymphadenectomy was omitted if low-risk features were present on reflex uterine frozen examination, and compared with the standard National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) SLN algorithm. RESULTS: 372 endometrial cancer patients were analyzed. 230 patients (61.8%) had endometrioid grade 1 or 2 tumors with <50% myometrial invasion (strategy A), and in 123 (53.4%) of these patients the tumor diameter was ≤2 cm (strategy B); 8 (3.5%) of the 230 cases had lymphatic metastasis. None of them were detected by side-specific pelvic lymphadenectomy and metastases were limited to SLNs in 7 patients. At least one pelvic side was not mapped in 107 (28.8%) cases in the entire cohort, and all of these cases would require a side-specific pelvic lymphadenectomy based on the NCCN SLN algorithm. This rate could have been significantly decreased to 11.8% and 19.4% by applying reflex frozen section examination of the uterus using strategy A and strategy B, respectively. CONCLUSION: Reflex frozen section examination of the uterus can be a feasible option to decide whether side-specific pelvic lymphadenectomy is necessary for all the patients who failed to map with an SLN algorithm. If low-risk factors are found on frozen section examination, side-specific pelvic lymphadenectomy can be omitted without compromising diagnostic efficacy for lymphatic spread.

A Pregnant Woman with Cranial Aneurysm Rupture in the Second Trimester of Pregnancy.

BACKGROUND: Reports of cerebral aneurysm and aneurysm rupture during pregnancy are rare in the literature. Aneurysms might rupture and cause intracranial hemorrhage during or after pregnancy. Aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage during pregnancy presents a challenge regarding treatment and management. No institution has reported a large patient population or experience in managing this condition during pregnancy in the literature. Owing to the limited number of cases, there are no available treatment guidelines, and treatment is usually based on a case-by-case approach. CASE DESCRIPTION: A 31-year-old woman presented in the 27th week of pregnancy with sudden-onset headache, which was diagnosed as subarachnoid hemorrhage. The diagnosis of subarachnoid hemorrhage with an aneurysm located on the anterior communicating artery was made with magnetic resonance imaging and digital subtraction angiography. The aneurysm was treated by surgical clipping. The pregnancy continued successfully until the 35th gestational week, when the infant was successfully delivered by planned cesarean section owing to preeclampsia and fetal growth retardation. Postoperative follow-up was uneventful. CONCLUSIONS: We present our experience in the management of aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage during pregnancy and maternal and fetal outcomes of this rare disease. More cases and multicenter studies are needed to develop standardized management of this disease.

Perioperative Duloxetine for Pain Management After Laparoscopic Hysterectomy: A Randomized Placebo-Controlled Trial.

STUDY OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effect of perioperative duloxetine on pain management in patients recovering from laparoscopic hysterectomy. DESIGN: A randomized placebo-controlled trial. SETTING: A university hospital. PATIENTS: Of 100 patients enrolled, 80 were randomized 1:1 to receive perioperative duloxetine (n = 40) or placebo (n = 40). INTERVENTIONS: Patients undergoing laparoscopic hysterectomy for benign conditions from November 2017 through March 2018 received 2 doses of 60 mg duloxetine or placebo 2 hours before and 24 hours after surgery. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: The Quality of Recovery (QoR)-40 questionnaire was completed by participants after discharge. Study and control groups were compared in terms of questionnaire scores, opioid analgesic use, and hospital length of stay. The baseline characteristics of the groups were comparable; median total QoR-40 scores were 111 of 200 and 112 of 200 for duloxetine and the placebo group, respectively; the difference did not reach statistical significance (p = .91). Although the physical independence subcomponent of the recovery questionnaire was improved in favor of duloxetine, none of the subcomponents reached statistical difference between groups. The groups did not differ in terms of postoperative narcotic analgesic use and hospital length of stay (p >.05). CONCLUSION: Perioperative duloxetine did not reduce pain, need for narcotic analgesia, or hospital length of stay following laparoscopic hysterectomy.

Sentinel lymph node biopsy in early stage endometrial cancer: a Turkish gynecologic oncology group study (TRSGO-SLN-001).

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this multicenter study was to evaluate the feasibility of sentinel lymph node (SLN) mapping in clinically uterine confined endometrial cancer. METHODS: Patients who underwent primary surgery for endometrial cancer with an SLN algorithm were reviewed. Indocyanine green or blue dye was used as a tracer. SLNs and/or suspicious lymph nodes were resected. Side specific lymphadenectomy was performed when mapping was unsuccessful. SLNs were ultrastaged on final pathology. RESULTS: 357 eligible patients were analyzed. Median age was 59 years. Median number of resected SLNs was 2 (range 1-12) per patient. Minimal invasive and open surgeries were performed in 264 (73.9%) and 93 (26.1%) patients, respectively. Indocyanine green was used in 231 (64.7%) and blue dye in 126 (35.3%) patients. The dyes were injected into the cervix in 355 (99.4%) patients. The overall and bilateral SLN detection rates were 91.9% and 71.4%, respectively. The mapping rates using indocyanine green or blue dye were comparable (P=0.526). There were 43 (12%) patients with lymphatic metastasis. The SLN algorithm was not able to detect 3 of 43 patients who had isolated paraaortic metastasis. After SLN biopsy, complete pelvic lymphadenectomy was performed in 286 (80.1%) patients. Sensitivity and negative predictive value were both 100% for the detection of pelvic lymph node metastases. In addition, 117 (32.8%) patients underwent completion paraaortic lymphadenectomy after SLN biopsy. In these patients, sensitivity for detecting metastases to pelvic and/or paraaortic lymph nodes was 90.3% with a negative predictive value of 96.6%. The risk of non-SLN involvement in patients with macrometastatic SLNs, micrometastatic SLNs, and isolated tumor cells in SLNs were 61.2%, 14.3% and 0%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: SLN biopsy had good accuracy in detecting lymphatic metastasis. However, one-third of cases with metastatic SLNs also had non-SLN involvement and this risk increased to two-thirds of cases with macrometastatic SLNs. The effect of leaving these nodes in situ on survival should be evaluated in further studies.

Laparoscopic assisted robotic myomectomy of a huge myoma; Does robotic surgery change the borders in minimally invasive gynecology?

Today, the adoption of minimal invasive gynecologic procedures is expanding their routine use in clinical practice. Until recently, a diameter of 8 cm was the recommended maximal size for laparoscopic removal of fibroids. However, robot-assisted laparoscopy improved the capacity and the feasibility of the many gynecologic procedures. Here, we report a video of robotic myomectomy of a huge myoma.

Comparison of stage III mucinous and serous ovarian cancer: a case-control study.

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this case-control study was to compare the prognoses of women with stage III mucinous ovarian carcinoma (MOC) who received maximal or optimal cytoreduction followed by paclitaxel plus carboplatin chemotherapy to those of women with stage III serous epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) treated in the similar manner. METHODS: We performed a multicenter, retrospective review to identify patients with stage III MOC at seven gynecologic oncology departments in Turkey. Eighty-one women with MOC were included. Each case was matched to two women with stage III serous EOC in terms of age, tumor grade, substage of disease, and extent of residual disease. Survival estimates were measured using Kaplan-Meier plots. Variables predictive of outcome were analyzed using Cox regression models. RESULTS: With a median follow-up of 54 months, the median progression-free survival (PFS) for women with stage III MOC was 18.0 months (95% CI; 13.8-22.1, SE: 2.13) compared to 29.0 months (95% CI; 24.04-33.95, SE: 2.52) in the serous group (p = 0.19). The 5-year overall survival rate of the MOC group was significantly lower than that of the serous EOC group (44.9% vs. 66.3%, respectively; p < 0.001). For the entire cohort, presence of multiple peritoneal implants (Hazard ratio [HR] 2.39; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.38-4.14, p = 0.002) and mucinous histology (HR 2.28; 95% CI, 1.53-3.40, p < 0.001) were identified as independent predictors of decreased OS. CONCLUSION: Patients with MOC seem to be 2.3 times more likely to die of their tumors when compared to women with serous EOC.

Uterine Smooth Muscle Tumor of Uncertain Malignant Potential: Clinicopathologic-Sonographic Characteristics, Follow-Up and Recurrence.

BACKGROUND: Uterine smooth muscle tumor of uncertain malignant potential (STUMP) is rare tumor, and regarded as sub-classification in uterine smooth muscle tumors between benign and malignant criteria. In this study, we evaluated characteristics of cases with STUMP diagnosis in a 10-year period. METHODS: We retrospectively evaluated medical records of patients with histopathological STUMP diagnosis in Istanbul Training and Research Hospital, a tertiary center. We analyzed preoperative demographic, clinical features and postoperative follow-up. Preoperative sonographic data were re-evaluated. RESULTS: The mean age was 42 years. One patient was postmenopausal, and five patients were premenopausal. All of them had a complaint of meno-metrorrhagia. We re-evaluated preoperative sonographic images of patients, and defined 83.3% as well-defined margins, 66.7% hyperechoic, 100% heterogeneous, 66.7% non-cystic, 50% calcification and 66.7% acoustic shadowing. Pathologic features showed mean number of mitosis 8, mild atypia 66.7%, and necrosis 33.3%. In a 24-year-old unmarried female patient with myomectomy, we detected recurrance of tumor in sonographic and MRI studies after 11 months, and confirmed the diagnosis via tru-cut biopsy. There was no relevance between sonographic findings and atypia, necrosis and mitosis. The recurrence was not in relationship with mitosis, degree of atypia and necrosis. We found no relevance between tumor diameter and mitosis, atypia, necrosis and recurrence. CONCLUSIONS: STUMP is classified as an intermediate form, histopathologically so calling it benign or malignant for sure is not possible. Singulary, solidity, hyperechogenicity, heterogenecity and features of acoustic shadowing and margins can guide us to preoperative sonographic diagnosis. Recurrence/metastasis after many years from operation can be seen, and those patients should be followed long term.

Comparison of advanced stage mucinous epithelial ovarian cancer and serous epithelial ovarian cancer with regard to chemosensitivity and survival outcome: a matched case-control study.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to compare clinicopathologic characteristics, surgery outcomes and survival outcomes of patients with stage III and IV mucinous epithelial ovarian cancer (mEOC) and serous epithelial ovarian carcinoma (sEOC). METHODS: Patients who had surgery for advanced stage (III or IV) mEOC were evaluated retrospectively and defined as the study group. Women with sEOC who were matched for age and stage of disease were randomly chosen from the database and defined as the control group. The baseline disease characteristics of patients and platinum-based chemotherapy efficacy (response rate, progression-free survival and overall survival [OS]) were compared. RESULTS: A total of 138 women were included in the study: 50 women in the mEOC group and 88 in the sEOC group. Patients in the mEOC group had significantly less grade 3 tumors and CA-125 levels and higher rate of para-aortic and pelvic lymph node metastasis. Patients in the mEOC group had significantly less platinum sensitive disease (57.9% vs. 70.8%; p=0.03) and had significantly poorer OS outcome when compared to the sEOC group (p=0.001). The risk of death for mEOC patients was significantly higher than for sEOC patients (hazard ratio, 2.14; 95% confidence interval, 1.34 to 3.42). CONCLUSION: Advanced stage mEOC patients have more platinum resistance disease and poorer survival outcome when compared to advanced stage sEOC. Therefore, novel chemotherapy strategies are warranted to improve survival outcome in patients with mEOC.

Accuracy of frozen sections for intraoperative diagnosis of complex atypical endometrial hyperplasia.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to correlate the histological diagnosis made during intraoperative frozen section (FS) examination of hysterectomy samples with complex atypical endometrial hyperplasia (CAEH) diagnosed with definitive paraffin block histology. METHODS: FS pathology results of 125 patients with a pre- operative biopsy showing CAEH were compared retrospectively with paraffin block pathology findings. RESULTS: Paraffin block results were consistent with FS in 78 of 125 patients (62.4%). The FS sensitivity and specificity of detecting cancer were 81.1% and 97.9%, with negative and positive predictive values of 76.7%, and 98.4%, respectively. Paraffin block results were reported as endometrial cancer in 77 of 125 (61.6%) patients. Final pathology was endometrial cancer in 45.3% patients diagnosed at our center and 76.9% for patients who had their diagnosis at other clinics (p=0.018). Paraffin block results were consistent with FS in 62.4% of all cases Consistence was 98.4% in patients who had endometrial cancer in FS. CONCLUSION: FS does not exclude the possibility of endometrial cancer in patients with the preoperative diagnosis of CAEH. In addition, sufficient endometrial sampling is important for an accurate diagnosis.

Secondary cytoreductive surgery outcomes of selected patients with paclitaxel/platinum sensitive recurrent epithelial ovarian cancer.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of secondary cytoreductive surgery (SCRS) on survival and to determine prognostic factors that may predict surgical and survival outcome. STUDY DESIGN: Between 1999 and 2011, data of 67 patients who had SCRS for epithelial ovarian cancer were evaluated. Factors that had an impact on survival were determined by statistical analysis. RESULTS: Univariate analysis showed that the number of chemotherapy cycles after primary surgery, CA 125 level at SCRS, number of recurrent tumors, recurrence before SCRS, disease dissemination, and number of chemotherapy cycles after SCRS were significantly associated with disease free survival after SCRS. In multivariate analysis, serum CA125 level, tumor dissemination, and number of chemotherapy cycles after SCRS were significantly associated with disease free survival. Moreover, univariate analysis showed that recurrence before SCRS was significantly associated with overall survival. CONCLUSION: SCRS may be beneficial for first relapsed, localized paclitaxel/platinum sensitive epithelial ovarian tumors and patients with a low serum CA 125 level and those who will receive ≥ 6 chemotherapy cycles after SCRS. This procedure should be considered in selected patient populations.