Description and classification of postpartum chronic pain: A multicentric prospective study.

INTRODUCTION: To classify persistent perineal and pelvic postpartum pain using the classification usually employed in chronic pelvic pain. MATERIAL AND METHOD: Prospective observational study including all women who have consulted an algologist or gynecologist at one of the six French centers for a chronic pain (superior or equal to 3 months) spontaneous linked by the mother with her childbirth were included. During semi-directed interviews, a questionnaire regarding sociodemographic factors and detailed questions about pain were collected. Then, pelvic and perineal pain were classified into 7 pain syndromes: pelvic sensitization (Convergences PP criteria), complex regional pain syndrome (Budapest criteria), pudendal or cluneal neuralgia (Nantes criteria), neuroma, thoraco-lumbar junction syndrome, myofascial pain (muscle trigger zone), fibromyalgia (American College of Rheumatology criteria). The principal objective of this study is to assess the prevalence of each painful disorder. The secondary aims were the description of socio-demographic factors and clinical characteristics of this population, identify the related symptoms and the impact on daily function associated with the chronic pelvic or perineal postpartum pain. RESULTS: 40 women with chronic pelvic or perineal pain spontaneously linked with childbirth were included. 78 % experienced pain for more than 12 months. A large majority had a vaginal birth (95 %) with perineal suture (90 %) and severe acute pain within the first week postpartum (62 %). Postpartum pain impacted participant's sexual activity (80 %), micturition (28 %) and defecation (38 %). In the sample, 17 cases of neuroma, 6 patients with pudendal or cluneal neuralgia, 13 patients with pelvic sensitization and 2 cases of fibromyalgia were identified. Complex regional pain syndrome was diagnosed in 8 patients, and myofascial pain in 11 women, and only 1 patient had thoraco-lumbar junction syndrome. Neuropathic pain was found in 31 participants (77.5 %) according to DN4 criteria. DISCUSSION: The classification scheme proposed in this study may be a very useful tool to investigate postpartum pelvic and perineal pain and to propose a treatment.

30 Years of Experience in the Management of Stage III and IV Epithelial Ovarian Cancer: Impact of Surgical Strategies on Survival.

Objective: to analyze the evolution of surgical techniques and strategies, and to determine their influence on the survival of patients with stage III or IV epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC). Methods: a retrospective data analysis was performed in two French tertiary cancer institutes. The analysis included clinical information, cytoreductive outcome (complete, optimal and suboptimal), definitive pathology, Overall Survival (OS), and Progression-Free Survival (PFS). Three surgical strategies were compared: Primary Cytoreductive Surgery (PCS), Interval Cytoreductive Surgery (ICS) after three cycles of Neo-Adjuvant Chemotherapy (NAC), and Final Cytoreductive Surgery (FCS) after at least six cycles of NAC. We analyzed four distinct time intervals: prior to 2000, between 2000 and 2004, between 2005 and 2009, and after 2009. Results: data from 1474 patients managed for International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) stages III (80%) or IV (20%) EOC were analyzed. Throughout the four time intervals, the rate of patients who were treated only medically increased significantly (10.1% vs. 22.6% p < 0.001). NAC treatment increased from 20.1% to 52.2% (p < 0.001). Complete resection rate increased from 37% to 66.2% (p < 0.001). Of our study population, 1260 patients (85.5%) underwent surgery. OS was longer in cases of complete cytoreduction (Hazard Ratio (HR) = 2.123 CI 95% [1.816-2.481] p < 0.001) but the surgical strategy itself did not affect median OS. OS was 44.9 months, 50.3 months, and 42 months for PCS, ICS, and FCS, respectively (p = 0.410). After adjusting for surgical strategies (PCS, ICS, and FCS), all patients with complete cytoreduction presented similar OS with no significant difference. However, PFS was three months shorter when FCS was compared to PCS (p < 0.001). Conclusion: In our 30 years' experience of EOC management, complete resection rate was the only independent factor that significantly improved OS and PFS, regardless of the surgical strategy.