Intrapartum fever, epidural analgesia and histologic chorioamnionitis.

OBJECTIVE: Our objective was to determine whether epidural analgesia and histologic chorioamnionitis were independent predictors of intrapartum fever. STUDY DESIGN: This secondary analysis, retrospective cohort study included term parturients with placental examination during 2005. Logistic regression used fever (⩾38 °C) as the dependent variable. Significance was defined as P⩽0.05. RESULT: There were 488 (76%) of 641 term parturients with placental examination and epidural. Independent predictors of intrapartum fever were epidural odds ratio (OR)=3.4, confidence interval (CI): 1.70, 6.81, histologic chorioamnionitis OR=3.18, 95% CI: 2.04, 4.95, birthweight OR=2.07, 95%CI: 1.38, 3.12, vaginal exams OR=1.15, 95% CI:1.06, 1.24, duration ruptured membranes OR=1.03, 95% CI: 1.01,1.05, parity⩾1 OR=0.44: 0.29, 0.66 and thick meconium OR=0.35: 95%CI: 0.24, 0.85. CONCLUSION: Epidural analgesia and histologic chorioamnionitis were independent predictors of intrapartum fever. Modification of labor management may reduce the incidence of intrapartum fever.

Accuracy of signs of clinical chorioamnionitis in the term parturient.

OBJECTIVE: Uniform histopathologic guidelines were applied to diagnose chorioamnionitis and estimate the accuracy of clinical signs in term parturients. STUDY DESIGN: A retrospective cohort study utilized slides from term parturient placentas with Amniotic Fluid Infection Nosology Committee guidelines as the gold standard. Sensitivity, specificity and accuracy for fever, maternal tachycardia and fetal tachycardia were calculated. RESULT: Of 641 placentas, 367 (57.3%) had histologic chorioamnionitis and 274 (42.7%) were negative. Fever had a sensitivity of 42%, specificity of 86.5% and accuracy of 61%. Fever, maternal tachycardia and fetal tachycardia had a sensitivity of 18.3%, specificity of 98.2% and accuracy of 52.4%. CONCLUSION: Histologic chorioamnionitis, frequently asymptomatic, is a common finding in placentas examined from term parturients. Clinical signs are not accurate in the diagnosis. Adoption of uniform pathologic guidelines will facilitate research into the clinical significance of these lesions in the future.

A review of HELLP syndrome.

HELLP (hemolysis, elevated liver enzymes, and low platelets) syndrome is a variant of severe preeclampsia which is associated with substantial maternal and perinatal morbidity and mortality. As with preeclampsia, the etiology and pathogenesis of HELLP syndrome is not completely understood. An increase in vascular thrombosis and activation of the coagulation system may be important in the clinical presentation of this disorder. Laboratory criteria for the diagnosis of HELLP syndrome have been classically described but lack uniformity among different institutions. Aggressive management of HELLP syndrome with expeditious delivery appears to yield the lowest perinatal mortality rates. Conservative or expectant management has been associated with higher stillbirth rates with antenatal corticosteroids not causing resolution of the laboratory abnormalities. Resolution of laboratory abnormalities in HELLP syndrome runs a protracted course over several days after delivery. Despite nearly two decades since HELLP syndrome has been defined as a clinical entity, treatment for the disorder still remains delivery of the patient.

Vulvar metastasis of breast carcinoma. A case report.

BACKGROUND: Metastasis of breast carcinoma to the vulva is rare: only a few cases have been previously described. CASE: A 61-year-old woman with a history of recurrent breast carcinoma presented with a painless lump on the vulva. Excisional biopsy showed an infiltrating adenocarcinoma that was histologically similar to the primary breast tumor. CONCLUSION: This report is another of breast carcinoma metastatic to the vulva. The clinical features and histologic findings distinguish this lesion from a primary breast carcinoma occurring in ectopic breast tissue.