Prognostic factors of poor surgical outcome after clitoral reconstruction in women with female genital mutilation/cutting.

BACKGROUND: Complications of surgical clitoral reconstruction for female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C) are a rare occurrence, but there has been reports of patients experiencing chronic pain or clitoral burial. AIM: This study aims to assess which factors are predictive of the occurrence of surgical complications in women who had surgical reconstruction for FGM/C (type 1, 2, or 3). METHODS: This monocentric retrospective study was conducted among patients who underwent clitoral reconstruction after FGM/C from January 2016 to March 2020. Demographic and clinical data were abstracted from the medical records. OUTCOMES: The primary outcome was the occurrence of chronic pain (defined as occurrence or persistence of any clitoral pain >3 months after surgery), and the secondary outcome was the occurrence of clitoral burial. RESULTS: A total of 87 women were included in the analysis. Univariate analysis indicated significantly higher rates of a history of physical abuse in the group of women who experienced chronic pain after surgery (4 [100%] vs 2 [37.1%], P = .049). Patients with clitoral burial were significantly younger than the rest of the sample in univariate analysis (median [IQR], 29.6 years [24.6-30.2] vs 33.8 [28.2-37.9]; P = .049). CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS: Surgical treatment of women who underwent FGM/C should include the entire history of the patient and especially a record of experiencing physical abuse. STRENGTHS AND LIMITATIONS: The study stands out for its originality, the extensive sample size gathered over nearly 4 years, the surgical clitoral reconstructions conducted by an experienced surgeon, and the minimal amount of missing data. However, because the occurrence of these complications was rare, the number of patients in the subgroups was extremely low, preventing a valid multivariate analysis to be conducted. CONCLUSION: The study suggests that women with a history of physical abuse could be at greater risk for chronic pain after surgery and that younger women tend to experience more clitoral burial.

Impact of prenatal corticosteroid therapy on sickle cell disease in pregnant women.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate safety of prenatal corticosteroids in pregnancies of women with sickle cell disease. METHODS: A multicenter observational study of patients with sickle cell disease, comparing vaso-occlusive crises (VOC) requiring hospital care between pregnancies with versus without prenatal corticosteroids. RESULTS: In 40 pregnancies exposed to prenatal corticosteroids, compared with 370 unexposed pregnancies, VOC were not more frequent (62.5% vs 57.9%, P = 0.578) but they were more severe, with more intensive care hospitalizations (25.0% vs 12.9%, P = 0.039), emergency transfusions (44.7% vs 22.7%, P = 0.006), and acute chest syndromes (22.5% vs 8.9%, P = 0.010). These differences persisted after adjustment for severity and type of sickle cell syndrome (for intensive care admission adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 2.73, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.10-6.79, P = 0.031 and for acute chest syndrome aOR 4.15, 95% CI 1.57-14.4, P = 0.008). VOC occurred on average 1.2 days following steroid administration. When comparing 36 patients receiving corticosteroids for fetal maturation with 58 patients who were hospitalized for obstetrical complications before 34 weeks of pregnancy but that did not receive corticosteroids, VOC incidence was not significantly higher (41.7% vs 31.5%, P = 0.323). CONCLUSION: The present study was the first to study the impact of prenatal corticosteroids on sickle cell disease. They were associated with more severe VOC, suggesting that steroids should be avoided in these women.

Impact of Marijuana Legalization on Prevalence of Maternal Marijuana Use and Perinatal Outcomes.

OBJECTIVE: We aimed to assess whether marijuana legalization was associated with a difference in prevalence of prenatal use or an increase in incidence of adverse perinatal outcomes. STUDY DESIGN: The present study is a retrospective cohort of September and October deliveries in the years 2012 through 2015 at a tertiary center in Colorado. Primary outcome of the study was use of marijuana, defined by self-report or biodetection. Secondary outcomes of the study included growth restriction, spontaneous preterm birth, stillbirth, preeclampsia, and neonatal or maternal death. Marijuana use prevalence was compared by year, and secondary outcomes between two periods, before and after the opening of the first recreational dispensary. RESULTS: A total of 2,392 pregnant women were included (1,165 before legalization and 1,227 after). More women used marijuana over the period of legalization (trend p = 0.01). Odds of marijuana use were higher after legalization versus before (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] = 1.8, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.2-2.6). Incidence of growth restriction was higher after legalization (2.9 vs. 5.1%, p = 0.0084). This difference persisted after adjustment for ethnicity and other drugs in multivariable modeling (aOR = 1.9, 95%CI: 1.2-3.0). CONCLUSION: The prevalence of prenatal marijuana use increased over the time of legalization. Further investigation into the population impact of legalization on obstetrical outcomes is warranted given the observed increase in growth restriction.

Single port laparoscopy (SPL): Retrospective study evaluating postoperative pain in comparison with conventional laparoscopy (CL).

OBJECTIVE: To compare postoperative pain after single port laparoscopy (SPL) approach with conventional laparoscopy (CL) in case of adnexectomy. MATERIAL AND METHODS: This is a retrospective monocentric study involving patients who underwent adnexal surgery by SPL or CL for a suspected benign disease or as a preventive measure. The main outcome measure was the level of postoperative pain. RESULTS: A total of 87 patients were enrolled. Within 2h, the numerical scale (NS) was 1.9 in SPL group and 2.0 in the CL group (P=0.85). The next day, the NS was 1.8 in SPL group and 1.5 in CL group (P=0.55). The operating time was significantly shorter in SPL group (33 versus 56min, 95% CI [-31; -15], P<0.001) and no rupture of ovarian cysts occurred in this group. There was no significant difference concerning complications, length of hospital stay, general satisfaction and POSAS (Patient and Observer Scar Assessment Scale) score. CONCLUSION: This study confirms the feasibility of single-port laparoscopic adnexectomy. We have not shown significant difference in postoperative pain but the operating time was significantly reduced under the guise of an experienced surgeon.

Baseline serum glucose concentration and symptomatic haemorrhagic transformation in non-diabetic stroke patients treated by intravenous thrombolysis.

Intravenous (i.v.) recombinant tissue plasminogen activator (rt-PA) improves outcome in ischaemic stroke, despite an increased risk of symptomatic haemorrhagic transformation (sHT). A higher baseline serum glucose concentration is associated with an increased risk of sHT. However, as most studies did not exclude diabetic patients, this effect may be partially due to diabetic micro-angiopathy. Our objective was to test the hypothesis that baseline serum glucose concentration is associated with sHT in non-diabetic patients treated by i.v. rt-PA. We analysed the influence of baseline serum glucose concentrations on sHT (ECASS2 definition) in consecutive non-diabetic patients treated by i.v. rt-PA for ischaemic stroke. Secondary end-points were death (<7 days, 8 days to 3 months, all deaths <3 months), and unfavourable outcome at 3 months (modified Rankin scale 2-6 if different from the pre-stroke value). Five hundred and five consecutive patients met inclusion criteria [242 men (47.9 %); median age 71 years (interquartile range, IQR) 57-81; median baseline national institutes of health stroke scale score 12 (IQR 6-17)]. Thirty-seven had sHT (7.3 %). After adjustment, baseline serum glucose concentrations were independently associated with sHT (adjOR: 1.176 for 1 mmol/l increase; 95 % CI: 1.020-1.357: p = 0.025). Increased admission serum glucose concentrations in non-diabetic patients treated by i.v. rt-PA for cerebral ischaemia are associated with sHT. Whether lowering serum glucose lowers the risk of sHT needs to be evaluated.