Effect of oxytocin infusion on reducing the blood loss during abdominal myomectomy: a double-blind randomised controlled trial.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the effectiveness and safety of oxytocin to reduce blood loss during abdominal myomectomy. DESIGN: Double-blind randomised controlled trial. SETTING: Obstetrics and Gynecologic University Medical Centre. POPULATION: Eighty healthy women candidates for abdominal myomectomy. METHODS: Women were randomly assigned to two groups. In the study group (n = 40) oxytocin 30 IU in 500 ml normal saline; and in the placebo group (n = 40) pure normal saline was administered during myomectomy. The main outcome measures were peri-operative blood loss and rates of blood transfusion. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: Estimated intra-operative blood loss. RESULTS: Estimated intra-operative blood loss in the study group (189.5 ± 16.72 ml) was significantly lower than the placebo group (692.25 ± 89.93 ml) (95% CI 672.54-711.96; P < 0.0001).The need for blood transfusion was significantly lower in the study group. Blood transfusions were required for three (7.5%) women in the study group and 10 (25%) women in the placebo group (95% CI 15.5-34.5; P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Intra-operative oxytocin infusion appears to be safe and effective in decreasing blood loss during abdominal myomectomy. TWEETABLE ABSTRACT: Intra-operative oxytocin is effective in decreasing blood loss during abdominal myomectomy.

Intracranial physiological calcifications in adults on computed tomography in Tabriz, Iran.

Intracranial physiological calcifications are unaccompanied by any evidence of disease and have no demonstrable pathological cause. They are often due to calcium and sometimes iron deposition in the blood vessels of different structures of the brain. Computed tomography (CT) is the most sensitive means of detection of these calcifications. The aim of this study was the assessment of intracranial physiological calcifications in adults. We studied 1569 cases ranging in age from 15 to 85 in Tabriz Imam Khomeini Hospital, Iran. These patients had a history of head trauma and their CT scan did not show any evidence of pathological findings. The structures evaluated consisted of (A) the pineal gland, (B) the choroid plexus, (C) the habenula, (D) the basal ganglia, (E) the tentorium cerebelli, sagittal sinus and falx cerebri, (F) vessels and (G) lens and other structures which could be calcified. Of the 1569 subjects, 71.0% had pineal calcification, 66.2% had choroid plexus calcification, 20.1% had habenular calcification, 7.3% had tentorium cerebelli, sagittal sinus or falx cerebri calcifications, 6.6% had vascular calcification, 0.8% had basal ganglia calcification and 0.9% had lens and other non-defined calcifications. In general, the frequency of intracranial physiological calcifications was greater in men than in women. All types of calcification increased at older ages except for lens and other non-defined calcifications. We evaluated all the cranial structures and determined percentages for all types of intracranial physiological calcification. These statistics can be used for comparing physiological and pathological intracranial calcifications. Moreover, these statistics may be of interest from the clinical perspective and are potentially of clinical use.