Peritoneal dialysis throughout pregnancy with successful outcome: A case report.

We present the case of a 28-year-old woman who was para 1, with end-stage renal failure secondary to reflux nephritis. She conceived after two years on peritoneal dialysis. She successfully continued this throughout pregnancy, although her antenatal course was complicated by an episode of peritonitis. Induction at 34 weeks resulted in a vaginal birth of a live boy. Her postnatal course was uncomplicated. We reviewed the literature regarding peritoneal dialysis in pregnancy. A recent systematic review identified 14 cases. When the outcomes of these women were compared with those receiving haemodialysis in pregnancy, there was a significantly higher proportion of small for gestational age fetuses, but other parameters were comparable. Two cases of peritonitis complicating peritoneal dialysis in pregnancy have been reported, both successfully treated. We conclude that peritoneal dialysis may be continued in pregnancy with successful maternal and fetal outcome, particularly in women with some residual renal function.

Does oral carbohydrate supplementation improve labour outcome? A systematic review and individual patient data meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Labour is a period of significant physical activity. The importance of carbohydrate intake to improve outcome has been recognised in sports medicine and general surgery. OBJECTIVES: To assess the effect of oral carbohydrate supplementation on labour outcomes. SEARCH STRATEGY: MEDLINE (1966-2014), Embase, the Cochrane Library and clinical trial registries. SELECTION CRITERIA: Randomised controlled trials (RCT) of women randomised to receive oral carbohydrate in labour (<6 cm dilated), versus placebo or standard care. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: Authors were contacted to provide data. Individual patient data meta-analyses were performed to calculate pooled risk ratios (RR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI). MAIN RESULTS: Eight RCTs met the inclusion criteria. Six authors responded, four supplied data (n = 691). Three studies used isotonic drinks (one placebo-controlled, two compared with standard care), and one an advice booklet regarding carbohydrate intake. The mean difference in energy intake between the intervention and control groups was small [three studies, 195 kilocalories (kcal), 95% CI 118-273]. There was no difference in the risk of caesarean section (RR 1.15, 95% CI 0.83- 1.61), instrumental birth (RR 1.26, 95% CI 0.96-1.66) or syntocinon augmentation (RR 0.99, 95% CI 0.86-1.13). Length of labour was similar (mean difference -3.15 minutes, 95% CI -35.14 to 41.95). Restricting the analysis to primigravid women did not affect the result. Oral carbohydrates did not increase the risk of vomiting (RR 1.09, 95% CI 0.78-1.52) or 1-minute Apgar score <7 (RR 1.23, 95% CI 0.82-1.83). AUTHORS' CONCLUSION: Oral carbohydrate supplements in small quantities did not alter labour outcome. TWEETABLE ABSTRACT: Oral carbohydrate does not affect labour. But the difference between intervention and control equals 10 teaspoons sugar.

Antenatal magnetic resonance imaging versus ultrasound for predicting neonatal macrosomia: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Fetal macrosomia is associated with an increased risk of adverse maternal and neonatal outcomes. OBJECTIVES: To compare the accuracy of antenatal two-dimensional (2D) ultrasound, three-dimensional (3D) ultrasound, and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in predicting fetal macrosomia at birth. SEARCH STRATEGY: Medline (1966-2013), Embase, the Cochrane Library and Web of Knowledge. SELECTION CRITERIA: Cohort or diagnostic accuracy studies of women with a singleton pregnancy, who had third-trimester imaging to predict macrosomia (>4000 g, >4500 g or >90th or >95th centile). DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: Two reviewers screened studies, performed data extraction and assessed methodological quality. The bivariate model was used to obtain summary sensitivities, specificities and likelihood ratios. MAIN RESULTS: Fifty-eight studies (34 367 pregnant women) were included. Most were poorly reported. Only one study assessed 3D ultrasound volumetry. For predicting birthweight >4000 g or >90th centile, the summary sensitivity for 2D ultrasound (Hadlock) estimated fetal weight (EFW) >90th centile or >4000 g (29 studies) was 0.56 (95% CI 0.49-0.61), 2D ultrasound abdominal circumference (AC) >35 cm (four studies) was 0.80 (95% confidence interval [95% CI] 0.69-0.87) and MRI EFW (three studies) was 0.93 (95% CI 0.76-0.98). The summary specificities were 0.92 (95% CI 0.90-0.94), 0.86 (95% CI 0.74-0.93) and 0.95 (95% CI 0.92-0.97), respectively. CONCLUSION: There is insufficient evidence to conclude that MRI EFW is more sensitive than 2D ultrasound AC (which is more sensitive than 2D EFW); although it was more specific. Further primary research is required before recommending MRI EFW for use in clinical practice. TWEETABLE ABSTRACT: Systematic review of antenatal imaging to predict macrosomia. MRI EFW is more sensitive than ultrasound EFW.

Outcome in fetal lower urinary tract obstruction: a prospective registry study.

OBJECTIVE: To describe influences on decision-making and prognostic variables in the prenatal management of fetal lower urinary tract obstruction (LUTO). METHODS: This was a prospective registry study of pregnant women with a male fetus with LUTO from centers within the British Isles and The Netherlands. Women and/or their clinicians were given the treatment option of either conservative management or vesicoamniotic shunting (VAS). Baseline characteristics of women in the registry, reasons for entry to the registry and pregnancy outcomes were assessed. The main study outcomes were survival to 28 days after delivery, further survival to 2 years and renal function. Logistic regression analysis was used to examine prognostic variables that affected outcome. Results were compared with those of women in a randomized controlled trial (RCT) who were allocated randomly to a treatment option. RESULTS: Forty-five women were registered, of whom 78% (35/45) underwent conservative management. Twenty-seven women entered the registry owing to their clinician's preference for management and 18 because of their own preference. Compared to the conservative-management group of the RCT, a higher proportion of women in the registry opting for conservative management had a normal amniotic fluid volume at diagnosis (P = 0.05) and a diagnosis of LUTO ≥ 24 weeks' gestation (P = 0.003). On multivariable logistic regression analysis, these variables showed a significant association with perinatal survival (P < 0.001). Survival to 28 days after delivery was higher in the conservative-management group, at 69% (24/35), compared to 40% (4/10) in the VAS group (P = 0.02) but this difference had limited statistical significance owing to small study size (relative risk, 0.58 (95% CI, 0.26-1.29); P = 0.14). CONCLUSION: In our prospective registry, the majority of fetuses with LUTO received conservative management, which was associated with better short- and long-term outcomes. A significant proportion of these pregnancies had normal amniotic fluid volume and a gestational age at diagnosis of ≥ 24 weeks, characteristics shown to be associated with improved survival.

When is birthweight at term (≥37 weeks' gestation) abnormally low? A systematic review and meta-analysis of the prognostic and predictive ability of current birthweight standards for childhood and adult outcomes.

BACKGROUND: Health outcomes throughout the life course have been linked to fetal growth restriction and low birthweight. A variety of measures exist to define low birthweight, with a lack of consensus regarding which predict adverse outcome. OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the relationship between birthweight standards and childhood and adult outcomes in term-born infants (≥37 weeks' gestation). SEARCH STRATEGY: MEDLINE (1966-January 2011), EMBASE (1980-January 2011), and the Cochrane Library (2011:1) and MEDION were included. SELECTION CRITERIA: Studies comprising live term-born infants (gestation ≥37 completed weeks), with weight or other anthropometric measurements recorded at birth along with childhood and adult outcomes. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: Data were extracted to populate 2 × 2 tables relating birthweight standard with outcome, and meta-analysis was performed where possible. MAIN RESULTS: Fifty-nine articles (2 600 383 individuals) were selected. There was no significant relationship between birthweight <2.5 kg (odds ratio [OR] 0.98, 95% confidence intervals [CI] 0.87-1.10) and composite measure of childhood morbidity. Weight <10th centile on the population nomogram showed a small association (OR 1.49, 95% CI 1.02-2.19) for the same outcome. There was no significant association between either of the above measures and adult morbidity. The relationship between other measures and individual outcomes varied. AUTHOR'S CONCLUSIONS: The association between low birthweight, by any definition, and childhood and adult morbidity was inconsistent. None of the current standards of low birthweight was a good predictor of adverse outcome.

When is birthweight at term abnormally low? A systematic review and meta-analysis of the association and predictive ability of current birthweight standards for neonatal outcomes.

BACKGROUND: Intrauterine growth restriction is a cause of neonatal morbidity and mortality. A variety of definitions of low birthweight are used in clinical practice, with a lack of consensus regarding which definitions best predict adverse outcomes. OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the relationship between birthweight standards and neonatal outcome in term-born infants (at ≥ 37 weeks of gestation). SEARCH STRATEGY: MEDLINE (1966-January 2011), EMBASE (1980-January 2011), and the Cochrane Library (2011:1) and MEDION were included in our search. SELECTION CRITERIA: Studies comprising live term-born infants (gestation ≥ 37 completed weeks), with weight or other anthropometric measurements recorded at birth along with neonatal outcomes. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: Data were extracted to populate 2 × 2 tables relating birthweight standard with outcome, and meta-analysis was performed where possible. MAIN RESULTS: Twenty-nine studies including 21 034 114 neonates were selected. Absolute birthweight was strongly associated with mortality, with birthweight < 1.5 kg giving the largest association (OR 48.6, 95% CI 28.62-82.53). When using centile charts, regardless of threshold, the summary odds ratios were significant but closer to 1 than when using absolute birthweight. For all tests, summary predictive ability comprised high specificity and positive likelihood ratio for neonatal death, but low sensitivity and a negative likelihood ratio close to 1. AUTHOR'S CONCLUSIONS: Absolute birthweight is a prognostic factor for neonatal mortality. The indirect evidence suggests that centile charts or other definitions of low birthweight are not as strongly associated with mortality as the absolute birthweight. Further research is required to improve predictive accuracy.

The Percutaneous shunting in Lower Urinary Tract Obstruction (PLUTO) study and randomised controlled trial: evaluation of the effectiveness, cost-effectiveness and acceptability of percutaneous vesicoamniotic shunting for lower urinary tract obstruction.

BACKGROUND: Congenital lower urinary tract obstruction (LUTO) is a disease associated with high perinatal mortality and childhood morbidity. Fetal vesicoamniotic shunting (VAS) bypasses the obstruction with the potential to improve outcome. OBJECTIVE: To determine the effectiveness, cost-effectiveness and patient acceptability of VAS for fetal LUTO. DESIGN: A multicentre, randomised controlled trial incorporating a prospective registry, decision-analytic health economic model and preplanned Bayesian analysis using elicited opinions. Patient acceptability was evaluated by interview in a qualitative study. SETTING: Fetal medicine departments in the UK, Ireland and the Netherlands. PARTICIPANTS: Pregnant women with a male singleton fetus with LUTO. INTERVENTIONS: In utero percutaneous VAS compared with conservative care. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The primary outcome was survival to 28 days. Secondary outcome measures were survival and renal function at 1 year of age, cost of care and cost per additional life-year and per disability-free survival at the end of 1 year. RESULTS: The trial stopped early with 31 women randomised because of difficulties in recruitment. Of those randomised to VAS and conservative management, 3/16 (19%) and 2/15 (13%), respectively, did not receive their allocated intervention. Based on intention-to-treat analysis, survival at 28 days was higher if allocated VAS (50%) than conservative management (27%) [relative risk (RR) 1.88, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.71 to 4.96, p = 0.27]. At 12 months survival was 44% in the VAS arm and 20% in the conservative arm (RR 2.19, 95% CI 0.69 to 6.94, p = 0.25). Neither difference was statistically significant. Of survivors at 1 year, two in the VAS arm had no evidence of renal impairment and four in the VAS arm and two in the conservative arm required medical management. One baby in the conservative arm had end-stage renal failure at 1 year. VAS was more expensive because of additional surgery and intensive care. VAS cost £15,500 per survivor at 1 year and £43,900 per disability-free year. Elicited expert opinions showed uncertainty in the effect of VAS at 28 days. In a Bayesian analysis combining elicited opinion with the results, uncertainty of the benefit of VAS remained (RR 1.31, 95% credible interval 0.84 to 2.18). The acceptability study identified visualisation of the fetus during ultrasound scanning, perceiving a personal benefit, and altruism as positive influences on recruitment. Fear of the VAS procedure and the perceived severity of LUTO influenced non-participation. The need for more detailed information about the condition and its implications during pregnancy and following delivery was a further important finding of this research. Recruitment was hampered by logistical and regulatory difficulties, a lower incidence of LUTO and lower antenatal diagnosis rate [estimated to be 3.34 (95% CI 2.95 to 3.72) per 10,000 total births and 47%, respectively, in an associated epidemiological study] and high termination of pregnancy rates. In the registry women also demonstrated a clear preference for conservative management. CONCLUSIONS: Survival to 28 days and 1 year appears to be higher with VAS than with conservative management, but it is not possible to prove benefit beyond reasonable doubt. Notably, prognosis in both arms for survival and renal function is poor. VAS was substantially more costly and unlikely to be regarded as cost-effective based on the 1-year data. Parents should be counselled about the risks of pregnancy loss with or without VAS insertion. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence interventional procedures guidance (IPG 202) should be updated to reflect this new evidence. Babies in the PLUTO trial should be followed up long term for the different outcomes. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ISRCTN53328556. FUNDING: This project was funded by the NIHR Health Technology Assessment programme and will be published in full in Health Technology Assessment ; Vol. 17, No. 59. See the NIHR Journals Library website for further project information.

Long-term child follow-up after large obstetric randomised controlled trials for the evaluation of perinatal interventions: a systematic review of the literature.

BACKGROUND: Although the hope is that many perinatal interventions are performed with an ultimate aim to improve the long-term health and development of the child, long-term outcome is rarely used as a primary end-point in perinatal randomised controlled trials (RCTs). OBJECTIVE: To evaluate how often and with which tools long-term follow-up is performed after large obstetric RCTs. SEARCH STRATEGY: We searched the Cochrane Library for Cochrane reviews published by the Cochrane Pregnancy and Childbirth Group for reviews on interventions that aimed to improve neonatal outcome. Selection criteria Reviews on perinatal interventions that were not performed to improve the condition of the neonate were excluded. We limited our review to RCTs with more than 350 participating women. For each included study, we checked in Web of Science as to whether the researchers had reported on follow-up in subsequent publications. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: Relevant information was extracted from these RCTs by two reviewers using a predefined data collection sheet. All information was analysed using SPSS 17.0 (SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL, USA). MAIN RESULTS: We studied 212 reviews including 1837 RCTs on perinatal interventions, 249 (14%) of which included 350 participants. Only 40 of 249 RCTs (16%) followed the children after discharge from the hospital to evaluate the effect of a specific perinatal intervention. The number of RCTs with long-term follow-up remained stable, with 10 of 67 RCTs (15%) reporting follow-up before 1990, 17 of 115 (15%) between 1990 and 2000, and 13 of 67 (19%) after 2000 (P = 0.68). CONCLUSIONS: Only a small minority of large perinatal RCTs report the long-term follow-up of the child. Future obstetric RCTs should consider performing long-term follow-up at the start of the trial.

Systematic review of the effectiveness of antenatal intervention for the treatment of congenital lower urinary tract obstruction.

BACKGROUND: Congenital lower urinary tract obstruction is associated with high mortality and morbidity. Antenatal detection has improved with advances in ultrasound technology, and has allowed the option of antenatal intervention. OBJECTIVES: To systematically review the literature to evaluate the effectiveness of antenatal interventions to improve perinatal survival and postnatal renal function in congenital lower urinary tract obstruction. SEARCH STRATEGY: Extensive electronic searches (database inception 2009) using Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) and keywords, without restrictions. Reference lists of included studies were checked, and all authors were contacted. SELECTION CRITERIA: Studies were selected according to a predefined protocol. The included studies were observational or randomised trials, where an intervention was performed in utero to treat congenital lower urinary tract obstruction, compared with another intervention or no treatment. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: Data were extracted on study design, quality and results to construct 2 x 2 tables. Meta-analysis was performed where possible. Peto ORs with 95% CIs were computed. MAIN RESULTS: Prenatal bladder drainage improved perinatal survival compared with no treatment (OR 3.86, 95% CI 2.00-7.45). This effect was amplified in a subgroup with poor predicted prognosis (OR 12.85, 95% CI 1.25-153.03). However, although treatment increases survival, it appears that the residual risk of poor long-term postnatal renal function is uncertain (OR 0.50, 95% CI 0.13-1.90). AUTHOR'S CONCLUSIONS: Antenatal bladder drainage appears to improve perinatal survival in cases of congenital lower urinary tract obstruction, but may confer a high residual risk of poor postnatal renal function, based on observational studies. Randomised research with long-term follow up is necessary to determine the role of antenatal treatment in clinical practice.

Transient abnormal myelopoiesis associated with Down syndrome presenting as severe hydrops fetalis: a case report.

We present a case of transient abnormal myelopoiesis (TAM) presenting as non-immune fetal hydrops (NIHF). Hydrops fetalis (HF) is a condition associated with very high perinatal mortality, especially when no treatable cause, such as fetal anaemia, exists. In fetuses prior to 24 weeks with NIHF, a chromosomal anomaly is a common association. TAM is a leukaemic condition, almost entirely limited to children with Down syndrome. The presentation of TAM prenatally is unusual but cases may present ultrasonographically with NIHF and associated fetal hepatosplenomegaly. We report a case presenting in this manner with NIHF detected at 29 weeks' gestation and discuss the subsequent diagnosis and management of in utero TAM.

Antenatal ultrasound to predict postnatal renal function in congenital lower urinary tract obstruction: systematic review of test accuracy.

BACKGROUND: Congenital urinary tract obstruction can lead to perinatal mortality and morbidity. Assessing antenatal ultrasound features may help identify fetuses likely to suffer complications. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the accuracy of antenatal ultrasound in the prediction of postnatal renal function in cases of congenital lower urinary tract obstruction (LUTO). SEARCH STRATEGY: We conducted electronic searches in MEDLINE, EMBASE, the Cochrane Library, MEDION, SIGLE, SCISEARCH Index of scientific and technical proceedings, National Research Register (database inception - 2008) and Medical Conferences register and searched reference lists. SELECTION CRITERIA: Two reviewers independently selected articles in which the accuracy of fetal ultrasound features were evaluated to predict postnatal renal function with no language restrictions. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: Data were extracted on study characteristics, quality and results to construct 2 x 2 tables. Likelihood ratios for positive (LR+) and negative (LR-) test results, sensitivity and specificity were generated for the different ultrasound parameters and reference standards. MAIN RESULTS: Thirteen articles that met the selection criteria, including 215 women and 33 2 x 2 tables. Meta-analysis was performed using clinically similar subgroups to minimise clinical heterogeneity. The ultrasound parameter that showed the best predictive value for postnatal renal function in survivors was renal cortical appearance, sensitivity 0.57 (95% CI 0.37-0.76) and specificity 0.84 (95% CI 0.71-0.94), area under the curve 0.78. CONCLUSION: Measurement of amniotic fluid volume and the appearance of the renal cortex at diagnosis of LUTO show promising predictive accuracy for poor postnatal renal function.