ABSTRACT
Mechanical bowel obstruction is a rare complication of pregnancy, usually seen in small bowel, and most commonly due to an adhesive band or hernia. Surgical evaluation is the method of treatment in cases that do not answer to conservative support procedures. A very rare case of small-bowel strangulation caused by herniation of a loop of ileum through another ileoperitoneal adhesion is presented.
Subject(s)
Ileus , Intestinal Volvulus/diagnosis , Intestinal Volvulus/surgery , Pregnancy Complications/diagnosis , Pregnancy Complications/surgery , Adult , Anastomosis, Surgical , Female , Gangrene , Gestational Age , Humans , Ileus/pathology , Ileus/surgery , Intestinal Volvulus/pathology , PregnancyABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: We aimed to evaluate the expression sta tus of c-met, receptor for the hepatocyte growth factor (HGF), in the placentas of intrauterine growth retardation (IUGR) fetuses. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Placentas were obtained during delivery from both third trimester normal and IUGR complicated pregnancies. Ultrasonographic estimation of fetal birth weight has been done and placentas of those under the fifth percentile for their gestational ages were enrolled in the study group. Eighteen fetuses with IUGR and 6 uncomplicated pregnancies were subjected to the study. Histological sections from placentas were immunohistochemically evaluated for the expression status of c-met. RESULTS: Seventeen of the eighteen patients (94.4%) in the study group were found to have overexpression of the c-met while this figure was only 16.7% (1/6) in the control group (p < 0.0001). There was a strong statistically significant difference between the two groups regarding degree of c-met expression. CONCLUSION: Our present findings suggest that c-met is an important cell membrane receptor in human placenta. Deregulation of the interaction between HGF and its receptor c-met during placentation may be the cause responsible for the growth retardation of the fetus due to the impaired placental functions.
