The density of endometrial glandular openings: a novel variable to predict the live birth rate in patients with intrauterine adhesions following hysteroscopic adhesiolysis.

STUDY QUESTION: Can the density of endometrial glandular openings (DEGO) be a reliable and simple new variable in the prediction of live birth after hysteroscopic adhesiolysis? SUMMARY ANSWER: The DEGO grade at follow-up hysteroscopy outperforms American Fertility Society (AFS) score in predicting the live birth rate after hysteroscopic adhesiolysis for patients with intrauterine adhesions (IUAs). WHAT IS KNOWN ALREADY: Several methods, such as endometrial thickness and AFS score, have been proposed for predicting the live birth rate in patients with IUAs who undergo hysteroscopic adhesiolysis. STUDY DESIGN, SIZE, DURATION: A test cohort of 457 patients with IUAs who underwent hysteroscopic adhesiolysis and had satisfactory follow-up hysteroscopy videos were retrospectively enrolled between January 2016 and January 2017. A validation cohort comprising 285 IUA patients was prospectively enrolled from March 2018 to August 2018. PARTICIPANTS/MATERIALS, SETTING, METHODS: An automated counting software tested the follow-up hysteroscopy videos to calculate the DEGO grade of all the 742 patients with IUAs after hysteroscopic adhesiolysis. The AFS score for each patient was also calculated at the same follow-up hysteroscopy. Logistic regression analysis was performed to develop prediction models to predict the live birth rate following hysteroscopic adhesiolysis. The performance of each of these prediction models was compared by calculating the AUC. MAIN RESULTS AND THE ROLE OF CHANCE: In the test cohort (n = 457), 231 patients had a live birth, but 226 patients failed. In the validation cohort (n = 285), 117 patients had a live birth, while 168 patients did not. The logistic regression analysis revealed that both the DEGO grade and AFS score at follow-up hysteroscopy were closely correlated with the live birth rate in patients with IUAs (P = 0). The AUCs of AFS score and DEGO grade in the test cohort were 0.7112 and 0.8498, respectively (P < 0.0001). The AUCs of AFS score and DEGO grade in the prospective external validation cohort were 0.6937 and 0.8248, respectively (P < 0.0001). LIMITATIONS, REASONS FOR CAUTION: Further well-designed prospective clinical studies with a multicentric larger sample size should be needed to confirm the feasibility and efficacy of DEGO. WIDER IMPLICATIONS OF THE FINDINGS: The DEGO grade is an accurate predictor factor of live birth rate in patients with IUAs following hysteroscopic adhesiolysis and can represent in the future an important and promising tool for assessing obstetric outcomes in IUAs. STUDY FUNDING/COMPETING INTEREST(S): This study is supported by National Key Research and Development Program of China (Grant No. 2018YFC1004800), Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 81671492), Natural Science Foundation of Hunan (Grant No. 2020JJ5859). B.G. is supported by Chinese Scholarship Council (File number. 201806370178). The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: N/A.

Efficacy of temporary ligation of infrarenal abdominal aorta during cesarean section in pernicious placenta previa.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of temporary loop ligation of the infrarenal abdominal aorta for control of intraoperative blood loss in patients with pernicious placenta previa.
 Methods: We retrospectively analyzed the clinical data of 14 patients with pernicious placenta previa, who underwent temporary loop ligation of the infrarenal abdominal aorta for control of blood loss during cesarean section between July 2013 and December 2014.
 Results: Eight patients received conservative management to preserve the uterus and 6 patients underwent cesarean hysterectomy. The occlusion time of the abdominal aorta was (31.42±12.67) min. The average estimated intraoperative blood loss was (1 117.85±745.13) mL. The volume of packed red blood cell transfusion was (3.91±3.24) units, and the volume of fresh frozen plasma transfusion was (192.85±156.71) mL. Post-operative histologic diagnosis revealed 6 cases of placenta percreta, 4 of increta, 3 of accreta and 1 non-creta. All patients experienced an uneventful postoperative recovery.
 Conclusion: In patients with pernicious placenta previa, temporary ligation of the infrarenal abdominal aorta provide a safe and effective means for controlling intraoperative hemorrhage during cesarean section. Additionally, the procedure may provide an opportunity to preserve fertility by avoiding a cesarean hysterectomy.

Efficacy of temporary ligation of infrarenal abdominal aorta during cesarean section in pernicious placenta previa / 中南大学学报(医学版)

Objective:To evaluate the efficacy and safety of temporary loop ligation of the infrarenal abdominal aorta for control ofintraoperative blood loss in patients with pernicious placenta previa.Methods:We retrospectively analyzed the clinical data of 14 patients with pernicious placenta previa,who underwent temporary loop ligation of the infrarenal abdominal aorta for control of blood loss during cesarean section between July 2013 and December 2014.Results:Eight patients received conservative management to preserve the uterus and 6 patients underwent cesarean hysterectomy.The occlusion time of the abdominal aorta was (31.42±12.67) min.The average estimated intraoperative blood loss was (1 117.85±745.13) mL.The volume of packed red blood cell transfusion was (3.91±3.24) units,and the volume of fresh frozen plasma transfusion was (192.85± 156.71) mL.Post-operative histologic diagnosis revealed 6 cases of placenta percreta,4 of increta,3 of accreta and 1 non-creta.All patients experienced an uneventful postoperative recovery.Conclusion:In patients with pernicious placenta previa,temporary ligation of the infrarenal abdominal aorta provide a safe and effective means for controlling intraoperative hemorrhage during cesarean section.Additionally,the procedure may provide an opportunity to preserve fertility by avoiding a cesarean hysterectomy.

Factors associated with fetal shunt dislodgement in lower urinary tract obstruction.

OBJECTIVE: To identify factors associated with fetal shunt dislodgement in lower urinary tract obstruction (LUTO). METHODS: We conducted a retrospective study of 42 consecutive fetuses with a diagnosis of LUTO in a tertiary fetal center between April 2013 and November 2015. Possible factors associated with prenatal shunt dislodgment were evaluated in fetuses who underwent shunt placement, including gestational age at diagnosis, gestational age at procedure, presence of 'keyhole sign', initial fetal bladder volume and wall thickness, prenatal ultrasonographic renal characteristics, amniotic fluid volume, presence of ascites prior to shunting, and type of fetal shunt. RESULTS: Nineteen (46.3%) fetuses underwent shunt placement at a median gestational age of 19 (range: 16.3-31.1) weeks. Shunt dislodgement occurred in 10 (52.6%) patients. A total of 35 procedures were performed; among which 16 (45.7%) were repeat procedures. The only prenatal factor associated with shunt dislodgement was the type of the shunt; Kaplan-Meier analysis indicated that the Rocket was associated with increased likelihood of remaining orthotopic (p = 0.04). CONCLUSION: Fetal shunt dislodgement occurs in approximately half of the patients and appears to be associated with the type of the shunt. Future research is necessary to develop better shunt systems and to investigate different fetal therapeutic approaches. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Removal of Retained Adherent Placental Remnants Using the Hysteroscopy Endo-Operative System.

STUDY OBJECTIVE: Removal of retained adherent placental remnants (RAPRs) may be challenging using traditional 5Fr or 7Fr hysteroscopic grasping forceps because they are very small. This is particularly true when the retained placental remnant is large. This video demonstrates the advantages of using the Hysteroscopy Endo-Operative System (HEOS), a specially designed operative hysteroscope with a 13Fr working channel, to remove retained placental remnants. DESIGN: Step-by-step explanation of the technique using videos and pictures (educative video) (Canadian Task Force Classification III). SETTING: Third Xiangya Hospital of Central South University, Hunan, China. PATIENT: A 32-year-old woman was diagnosed with RAPRs 5 weeks after the evacuation of retained placenta after a spontaneous abortion at 16 weeks' gestation. Gynecologic examination revealed an anterior 8-week uterus and no tenderness. Serum ß-human chorionic gonadotropin was 150 mIU/L. Sonography revealed an irregular intrauterine mass, 3.5 cm × 3.5 cm × 3 cm in size. INTERVENTION: Removal of RAPRs using HEOS (Sopro-comeg Company, Bordeaux, France). MEASUREMENT AND MAIN RESULTS: The operation time was only 12 minutes. The RAPRs were removed completely and quickly in 1 procedure with no complications. The serum ß-human chorionic gonadotropin titer normalized 1 week after the procedure. This study was approved by the institutional review board of the Third Xiangya Hospital of Central South University. CONCLUSIONS: When indicated, removal of RAPRs using HEOS is safe and simple because of its large and strong cold forceps. Additionally, it avoids electrical and thermal injury to the endometrium, which is particularly important in a population that wants to preserve fertility.

Hysteroscopic Intrauterine Adhesiolysis Using the "Ploughing" Technique With Cold Scissors.

STUDY OBJECTIVE: The majority of the current published literature describes hysteroscopic adhesiolysis (HA) for patients with intrauterine adhesions (IUA) using electrical instruments which may cause thermal injury to the endometrium. This video shows the procedure for HA using the "ploughing" technique with cold scissors. DESIGN: Step-by-step explanation of the technique using videos and pictures (educative video) (Canadian Task Force Classification III). SETTING: Third Xiangya Hospital of Central South University, Changsha, China. PATIENT: A 39-year-old woman diagnosed with IUA. INTERVENTION: HA using the ploughing technique with cold scissors, followed by adjunct postoperative treatment with a follow up hysteroscopy 2 months later. MEASUREMENT AND MAIN RESULTS: The uterine cavity was successfully reopened, and the scars covering the inner uterine walls were ploughed longitudinally to release the contraction imposed by the scars, as well as to provide a fresh and rich blood-supplied surface for endometrium to grow and cover after the surgery. There were no complications. The follow-up hysteroscopy 2 months later revealed a normal uterine cavity and much improved endometrium, along with restoration of almost normal menses. CONCLUSION: HA using the ploughing technique with cold scissors is effective for rebuilding the uterine cavity even for patients with severe IUA. Its advantages merit further study.