Transvaginal Ovarian Cyst Drainage in Third Trimester to Facilitate Vaginal Delivery.

Adnexal masses in the third trimester of pregnancy may obstruct the pelvic outlet precluding labor induction and vaginal delivery. Expectant versus surgical management of adnexal cysts in pregnancy must carefully weigh maternal-fetal benefits and risks. Simple benign appearing cysts with low likelihood of malignancy may be amenable to percutaneous drainage as a bridge to interval postpartum laparoscopic cystectomy. We demonstrated posterior culdocentesis as a safe, minimally invasive technique to decompress a simple benign appearing left adnexal cyst obstructing the pelvic outlet in the third trimester at the time of labor induction to facilitate vaginal delivery and prevent primary cesarean delivery. Detailed sonographic cyst evaluation and counseling on underlying risk of malignancy must be considered to guide shared decision-making.

Human Chorionic Gonadotropin-A Review of the Literature.

Importance: The measurement of human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) levels in different body fluids is a commonly utilized tool in obstetrics and gynecology, as well as other fields. It is often one of the first steps in the medical workup of female patients, and the results and interpretation of this test can have significant downstream ramifications. It is essential to understand the uses and limitations of hCG as a testing and therapeutic measure to appropriately evaluate, counsel, and treat patients. Objective: The purpose of this article is to review the current literature on hCG, including its origins, structure, pharmacokinetics, metabolism, and utility in testing and medical treatment. Evidence Acquisition: Original research articles, review articles, and guidelines on hCG use were reviewed. Conclusions and Relevance: While the primary function of hCG is to maintain early pregnancy, testing for hCG demonstrates that this molecule is implicated in a multitude of different processes where results of testing may lead to incorrect conclusions regarding pregnancy status. This could affect patients in a myriad of settings and have profound emotional and financial consequences. In addition, hCG testing may be revealing of alternative pathology, such as malignancy. It is imperative to understand the nuances of the physiology of hCG and testing methods to effectively use and interpret this test for appropriate patient management.

Endometrial Adenocarcinomas With No Specific Molecular Profile: Morphologic Features and Molecular Alterations of "Copy-number Low" Tumors.

The study evaluated morphologic patterns, mutational profiles, and ß-catenin immunohistochemistry (IHC) in copy-number low (CNL) endometrial adenocarcinomas (EAs). CNL EAs (n=19) with next-generation or whole genome sequencing results and available tissue for IHC were identified from our institutional database. Clinical data and histologic slides were reviewed. IHC for ß-catenin was performed and correlated with mutation status. Images of digital slides of CNL EAs from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database (n=90) were blindly reviewed by 4 pathologists, and morphology was correlated with mutation status. Categorical variables were analyzed using the Fisher exact test, and agreement was assessed using Fleiss κ. CTNNB1 mutations were present in 63% (12/19) of CNL EAs. ß-catenin nuclear localization was present in 83% of CTNNB1-mutated tumors (10/12) and in 0% (0/7) of CTNNB1-wildtype tumors (sensitivity 0.83, specificity 1.00). Squamous differentiation (SD) was present in 47% (9/19) and was more often observed in CTNNB1-mutated tumors (P=0.02). Mucinous differentiation (MD) was associated with KRAS mutations (P<0.01). Digital image review of TCGA CNL EAs revealed that pathologist agreement on SD was strong (κ=0.82), whereas agreement on MD was weak (κ=0.48). Pathologists identified SD in 22% (20/90), which was significantly associated with the presence of CTNNB1 mutations (P<0.01). CNL EAs demonstrate several morphologies with divergent molecular profiles. SD was significantly associated with CTNNB1 mutations and nuclear localization of ß-catenin in these tumors. Nuclear expression of ß-catenin is a sensitive and specific IHC marker for CTNNB1 mutations in CNL EAs. CNL EAs with KRAS mutations often displayed MD.

Major postoperative complications following surgical procedures for pelvic organ prolapse: a secondary database analysis of the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program.

BACKGROUND: Surgical approaches to the correction of pelvic organ prolapse include abdominal, vaginal, and obliterative approaches. These approaches require vastly different anatomical dissections, surgical techniques, and operative times and are often selected by the patient and surgeon to match preoperative multimorbidity and ability of the patient to tolerate the stress of surgery. OBJECTIVE: We sought to describe the occurrence of postoperative complications occurring after 3 different surgical approaches to treat pelvic organ prolapse: vaginal, abdominal, and obliterative. STUDY DESIGN: We conducted a secondary database analysis of the 2006 through 2014 American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program participant use data files to analyze patients undergoing procedures for pelvic organ prolapse based on Current Procedural Terminology codes. Women were categorized into 3 surgical approaches to prolapse: vaginal, abdominal, and obliterative. Concomitant hysterectomy and sling were also examined. The primary outcome was a composite of 30-day major postoperative complications. RESULTS: A total of 33,416 women were included in our final analysis: 24,928 vaginal procedures, 6834 abdominal (4461 minimally invasive) procedures, and 1654 obliterative procedures. Concomitant hysterectomies and slings were performed in 17,380 (52.0%) and 10,896 (32.6%) of prolapse procedures. The overall prevalence of composite 30-day major postoperative complications was 3.1% (n/N = 1028/33,416). There were 13 perioperative deaths (0.04%) with no difference in the surgical approaches (P = .55). There were no differences in major postoperative complications between vaginal and abdominal procedures (3.0% vs 3.0%; P = .71). Women undergoing obliterative procedures had an occurrence of major postoperative complications of 5.0% (n/N = 83/1654), P < .001. CONCLUSION: The occurrence of major postoperative complications after prolapse surgery is rare. We did not find a significant difference in major postoperative complications between vaginal and abdominal surgeries for pelvic organ prolapse. In this well-characterized cohort of patients who self-selected surgical approach, women undergoing obliterative surgery had more postoperative complications, likely attributed to increased age and multimorbidity.