Improvement of angiographic and clinical outcomes of percutaneous coronary intervention for chronic total occlusion after implementation of a dedicated team: a single-centre experience.

INTRODUCTION: In a Dutch heart centre, a dedicated chronic total occlusion (CTO) team was implemented in June 2017. The aim of this study was to the evaluate treatment success and clinical outcomes before and after this implementation. METHODS: A total of 662 patients who underwent percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) for a CTO between January 2013 and June 2020 were included and divided into pre- and post-CTO team groups. The primary endpoint was the angiographic success rate of CTO-PCI. Secondary endpoints included angiographic success stratified by complexity using the J­CTO score and the following clinical outcomes: in-hospital complications and myocardial infarction, target vessel revascularisation, all-cause mortality, quality of life (QoL) and major adverse cardiac events (MACE) at 30-day and 1­year follow-up. RESULTS: Compared with the pre-CTO team group, the success rate in the post-CTO team group was higher after the first attempt (81.4% vs 62.7%; p < 0.001) and final attempt (86.7% vs 73.8%; p = 0.001). This was mainly driven by higher success rates for difficult and very difficult CTO lesions according to the J­CTO score. The MACE rate at 1 year was lower in the post-CTO team group than in the pre-CTO team group (6.4% vs 16.0%; p < 0.01), while it was comparable at 30-day follow-up (0.1% vs 1.7%; p = 0.74). Angina symptoms were significantly reduced at 30-day and 1­year follow-up, and QoL scores were higher after 1 year. CONCLUSION: This study demonstrated higher success rates of CTO-PCI and improved clinical outcomes and QoL at 1­year follow-up after implementation of a dedicated CTO team using the hybrid algorithm.

[The use of intrauterine device in nulliparous over 18 years: a Belgian consensus]. / La contraception intra-utérine chez la nultlipare de plus de 18 ans: vers un consensus belge.

Under the presidency of prof. H. Depypere (UZ Ghent) and Prof. P. Simon (ULB Erasme) a Belgian panel of thirteen experts (gynecologists, representatives of universities and scientific associations for gynecology-obstetrics) reached a consensus on the use of intrauterine systems, both copper IUDs as hormone IUDs, in nultiparous women.

Successful Primary Treatment of a Hydatidiform Mole with Methotrexate and EMA/CO.

Background. The preferred treatment method of most hydatidiform moles is suction aspiration. In rare circumstances uterine abnormalities may preclude surgical treatment. Case. We report a case of complete molar pregnancy successfully treated with methotrexate followed by EMA/CO. A 38-year-old woman with a complete hydatidiform mole and multiple uterine fibroids underwent a failed attempt at suction aspiration. Following treatment with methotrexate, a nonmetastatic persistent trophoblastic tumour developed. Six cycles of EMA/CO led to complete remission. Conclusion. We propose that primary treatment of molar pregnancies with chemotherapy is a useful treatment option in cases where uterine abnormalities interfere with suction aspiration.

A persistently recurring peri-urethral soft tissue lesion of the vulva.

Various mesenchymal lesions, some of which have only recently been characterized, may affect the vulva. Because of their apparently shared origin from vulvovaginal mesenchyme, these lesions can resemble one another superficially and can be challenging diagnostically. Clinically, benign lesions and tumor-like conditions may mimic a malignant process because of hypercellularity, mitotic activity, and rapid growth. We report on a 84-year-old diabetic and hypertensive woman who had previously undergone skinning vulvectomy for lichen planus and an embolectomy of the left femoral artery. The patient presented with a rapidly growing vulvar mass. The biopsy showed spindle cell proliferation in a loose myxoid stroma with granulation tissue and a mixed inflammatory infiltrate. Based on histology and immunohistochemistry, the initial diagnosis was that of a benign lesion. In view of the persistent recurrence of the lesion and the absence of metastatic spread, we conclude that the lesion has a low-grade malignant potential and suggest the diagnosis of florid cellular reactive pseudosarcomatous myofibroblastic proliferation.

Low-grade endometrial stromal sarcoma treated with the aromatase inhibitor letrozole.

BACKGROUND: Low-grade endometrial stromal sarcoma is an indolent steroid responsive tumor. Successful hormonal treatment, most commonly with megestrol acetate, has been reported. CASE: A 76-year-old woman underwent a total abdominal hysterectomy with bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy 25 years earlier allegedly for a benign condition. She presented to us with postrenal kidney failure and a huge pelvic mass compressing both ureters. After transvaginal trough-cut biopsy of the mass, the diagnosis of low-grade endometrial stromal sarcoma with a high expression of alpha-estrogen receptor was made. The patient was treated with letrozole only with a spectacular response. CONCLUSION: To the best of our knowledge, this is the first case for which letrozole was used on long-term basis as first-line hormonal treatment for a recurrent low-grade stromal sarcoma.

[Is there a relationship between hyperemesis gravidarum and hyperthyroidism?]. / Is er een relatie tussen hyperemesis gravidarum en hyperthyroidie?

UNLABELLED: This retrospective study evaluates the incidence and degree of thyroidal stimulation in patients with hyperemesis, and the correlation between thyroid function, the hCG level and the severity of the hyperemesis gravidarum. The role of antithyroidea is discussed in patients with a gestational hyperthyroidism. The degree of thyroid stimulation on the outcome of the pregnancy was studied. At admission hCG, TSH, FT4, FT3, TSI, anti-TPO and anti-Tg were determined. The severity of the hyperemesis gravidarum was evaluated by the degree of ketonuria, % weight loss, and the electrolytes and the liver function disorders. An ultrasound to confirm the gestational age and to exclude a multiple pregnancy or a trophoblastic disease was carried out. RESULTS: In a period of 1 January '91 to 31 January '94, 48 hyperemesis gravidarumpatients were admitted at the maternity. 22.9% of the hyperemesispatients had thyroid stimulation; 4 patients had a decreased TSH and an increased FT4 (group 2) and 7 patients had a decreased TSH, an increased FT4 and FT3 (group 3). The age of the mother, the parity and the gestational age at admission are comparable, and do not differ from the patients without thyroid disorders (group 1). Parameters, determining the severity of hyperemesis gravidarum, are not significantly different in the 3 groups. Treatment with antithyroidea in the group with proven hyperthyroidism (decreased TSH, increased FT4 and FT3) does not only lead to normalisation of the thyroid tests, but also to an improvement of the symptomatology. The gestational age at delivery and the birthweight of the babies are comparable in the 3 groups. CONCLUSION: In patients admitted with hyperemesis gravidarum, we found 23% of the women to present a thyroid stimulation. This hyperthyroidism differs from the auto-immune hyperthyroidism, i.e. the patients have no thyroid antibodies, no classic clinical signs of thyrothoxicosis. Probably, the absolute hCG concentration and its biological activity plays a crucial role in the thyroid stimulation. This degree of thyroid stimulation has no influence on the severity of the hyperemesis gravidarum, neither on the outcome of the pregnancy.