Perinatal outcomes of sonographically detected nuchal cord in southeastern Turkey.

PURPOSE: To investigate the outcomes of pregnancies with a sonographically detected nuchal cord (NC) from a single center in south-eastern Turkey. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A retrospective study was carried out at Maternity and Child Health Hospital Diyarbakir, Turkey, between 2011 and 2013. A-total of 477 pregnancies with sonographically detected NC during the second and third trimesteri of gestation (20-40 weeks) were included. The control group consisted of 1,043 randomly selected pregnancies without NC matched for gestational age at the time of ultrasound examination. Outcome variables, including maternal age, parity, gestational age at delivery, mnode of delivery, intrapartum fetal heart abnormalities, meconium-stained amniotic fluid, birth weight, and one- and five-minute Apgar scores, were compared between the two groups. RESULTS: There were no statistically significant differences in any of the outcome variables between patients with sonographically detected NC and controls. CONCLUSIONS: The presence of NC indicates a need for increased care but is not associated with adverse perinatal outcomes.

Preoperative Association of Abdominal Striae Gravidarum with Intraabdominal Adhesions in Pregnant Women with a History of Previous Cesarean Section: a Cross-sectional Study.

Introduction: Intraabdominal adhesions that develop because of prior abdominal or pelvic surgery may cause problems during surgery. Complications can include difficult intraabdominal entry; injury to the urinary bladder, uterus or small intestine; longer operation times, and increased blood loss. The goal of the present study was to evaluate the association between abdominal striae gravidarum and intraabdominal adhesions in the preoperative period in pregnant women with a history of cesarean section. Materials and Methods: The study included 247 pregnant women at ≥ 37 weeks of gestation admitted to the labor unit for delivery; all had undergone at least one previous cesarean section. Abdominal striae were assessed preoperatively using the Davey scoring system; the severity and intensity of adhesions were subsequently evaluated intraoperatively according to the modified Nair scoring system. Results: No striae were seen in 104 pregnant women; 41 had mild striae and 102 had severe striae. Overall, 113 cases had no adhesions (grade 0), 106 had grade 1-2 adhesions, and 28 had grade 3-4 adhesions. Among patients with grade 0 adhesions, 34 (13.7 %) had no striae, while 79 (31.9 %) had mild-to-severe striae (p < 0.001; sensitivity 55 %; specificity 67 %; positive predictive value 69 %; negative predictive value 52 %). Among women with grade 1-2 adhesions, 48 (19.4 %) had no striae, while 58 (23.4 %) had mild-to-severe striae. Finally, among women with grade 3-4 adhesions, 22 (8.9 %) had no striae, while 6 (2.4 %) had mild-to-severe striae (p < 0.001). A p-value < 0.05 was taken to indicate statistical significance. Conclusions: The abdominal adhesion score dropped as the abdominal striae gravidarum score rose during the preoperative period. Addition of this useful, easy-to-apply, inexpensive, adjunctive, observational, abdominal scoring method to the obstetrical work-up can provide important clues about the intraabdominal adhesion status of pregnant women scheduled for cesarean delivery because of previous cesarean section.

Surgical management of intrauterine devices migrated towards intra-abdominal structures: 20-year experience of a tertiary center.

AIMS: To share surgical management experiences of intra-abdominal intrauterine devices (IUDs) in tertiary center. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A total of 27 patients were retrospectively analyzed. This retrospective study was conducted between September 1992 and April 2013 at Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology Tepecik Research and Training Hospital, Izmir, Turkey. Demographic findings, diagnostic methods, and operative notes of patients were obtained from the patient file. FINDINGS: Of the 27 IUDs, nine (33.3%) were in omentum, four (15%) were in Douglas pouch, one in left sacrouterine ligament, one in uterovesical space and one in fundus posterior, six (22%) in left adnexial region, one in abdominal wall, one was subdiaphragmatic, one in ligamentum latum, and one in jejunum. Almost all of the patients had TCu-380 A IUDs. Seventeen patients (63%) were managed by laparoscopy, whereas laparotomy was required in ten (37%). Adhesions were found in 23 of 27 (85%) patients with varying degrees. In four cases the incision was extended due to adhesions. CONCLUSION: A missing string was the first finding of an intra-abdominal IUD. Pelvic ultrasonography, X-ray, and hysteroscopy methods should be performed in order to detect the localization of IUD in case of a missing string. Surgical approach should be the first treatment option for intra-abdominal IUDs.

Can striae be used as a marker for the prediction of pelvic organ prolapse?

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the relationship between two connective tissue pathologies: striae and pelvic organ prolapse (POP). STUDY DESIGN: Four hundred and eighty-eight women who had undergone gynaecological surgery were divided into two groups. The study group (n=244) consisted of symptomatic patients with POP, and the control group (n=244) consisted of cases who underwent surgery for benign gynaecological conditions without evidence of POP. The groups were compared in terms of the presence, intensity and severity of striae, as well as their general characteristics. RESULTS: The presence of striae (p=0.001), number of striae (p=0.001) and Davey score (p=0.00001) were significantly higher in the study group, and the absence of striae was more common in the control group (p=0.00001). According to multivariate analysis, the presence of striae, an increased number of striae (>15) and a Davey score >2 increased the risk of POP 1.29 fold (p=0.03, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.14-1.35), 1.19 fold (p=0.04, 95% CI 1.14-1.25) and 2.51 fold (p=0.01, 95% CI 1.66-3.78), respectively. CONCLUSION: Striae may serve as a promising marker for POP. In particular, women who develop striae should be cautious about their risk for developing POP in the future, and should be informed about preventive methods for POP.

Relation of peritoneal fluid and serum vascular endothelial growth factor levels to endometriosis stage.

OBJECTIVE: It is a well known fact that endometriosis is linked with apoptosis, extracellular matrix formation, and angiogenesis. In this study, the authors aim to investigate the relation between the extent of endometriosis and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Twenty-one patients who received laparoscopic intervention due to endometriosis constituted the patient group, whereas 19 patients who were operated due to extra-endometrial benign cyst were included in the control group. Following the laparoscopic pelvic assessment, peripheral blood samples and two cc of free peritoneal fluid from the Douglas pouch were obtained simultaneously. The samples were studied with regards to VEGF level via solid phase sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) method. RESULTS: In the patient group, eight cases were diagnosed with Stages I and II endometriosis, while 13 cases were diagnosed with Stages III and IV endometriosis. Among the Stage I and II cases, serum VEGF levels were statistically significantly higher, as compared to the Stage III and IV cases, as well as the control group. Discussion: In conclusion, the authors found a relationship between elevated serum VEGF levels and early stage endometriosis.

Analysis of uterine rupture cases in Agri: a five-year experience.

INTRODUCTION: We attempted to establish the frequency of uterine rupture and to address etiological factors, complications, management and maternal and perinatal outcome of complete versus incomplete rupture, with the aim of proposing preventive measures. METHODS: The clinical records of uterine rupture cases managed at the Obstetrics and Gynecology Department of Agri Maternity and Children's Hospital in Turkey from June 2004 to June 2009 were analyzed retrospectively. RESULTS: There were 44 cases of ruptured uterus. Among 24,554 deliveries the total incidence of uterine rupture was 1/558 or 17%. The most common site for the location of rupture was the fundal region (36.36%) followed by the lower segment, isthmic and mixewd types, respectively. DISCUSSION: Prevention must necessarily include regular antenatal care and meticulous screening of high-risk patients. Improved organization and access to maternal care, decentralization of obstetric services into peripheral care units in villages to prevent home deliveries and good supervision during labor can reduce the incidence of this preventable obstetric catastrophe.

Case report: sacral parasitic twins.

INTRODUCTION: Sacral parasitic twins originate from one fertilized ovum and they have one placenta and the same sex. CASE REPORT: A 23-year-old woman was referred to our clinic. Examination by touch revealed a mass that was in the sacral region but the borders could not be fully examined. The solid mass, which was conjoined to the sacrum, had a soft texture. The infant's appearance was macroscopically normal. When the mass was examined by palpation, there were structures which felt like extremities. The mass was 20 x 11 x 9 cm in size. CONCLUSION: The differential diagnosis should include sacrococcygeal teratoma. In our case the differential diagnosis was done by histopathologic findings. This case, which involved a tumoral formation at the sacral region in the antenatal period, was detected during delivery. A sacral parasite is a rarely seen phenomenon and as such the diagnostic information of this case could be useful.

The relationship between human papillomavirus infection and cervical intraepithelial neoplasia in Turkish women.

To compare the prevalence of cervical human papillomavirus (HPV) infection in Turkish women with normal Papanicolaou (Pap) smear and cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN). In between March 2002 and November 2005, the study was designed as case-control study. Cytologic abnormalities in Pap smears were classified according to the Bethesda System (2001). Identification of the presence of HPV was carried out by the Hybrid Capture II test for all patients. To compare the groups, Chi-square test was used. A total of 1353 reproductive aged women were screened. Of them, 1344 (99.3%) had normal or class I Pap smear. Remaining nine cases (0.7%) had CIN at several degrees (five CIN I, three CIN II, and one carcinoma in situ). While all these nine cases with cervical pathologies had HPV, only 20 cases from the other group (1.5%) had HPV (chi(2) 466.1; P = 0.0001). This is the first study of the evaluation of the association between HPV and preinvasive cervical lesions in Turkish population. In spite of low general frequency (2.1%) of cervical HPV colonization in this population, a strong correlation was found between HPV and CIN.

The use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) therapies by Turkish women with gynecological cancer.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the prevalence and patterns of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) utilization among Turkish women with gynecological cancer METHODS: In this cross-sectional study, a total of 156 patients treated between December 2002 and March 2005 at the Ministry of Health Aegean Obstetrics and Gynecology Teaching Hospital, Department of Gynecologic Oncology were evaluated. Data regarding CAM use were obtained from patients by means of face-to-face interviews. RESULTS: Sixty women (38.5%) had used CAM having been diagnosed with cancer; herbal medicine was the most common. The age, income, educational level, cancer site, FIGO stage, previous CAM usage, and time since patients were diagnosed with cancer were associated with CAM usage. The most (40%) commonly cited reason for CAM use was to boost the immune system. Although only 8.3% of CAM users received CAM information from health care professionals or CAM practitioners, this group of patients was more likely to discuss their CAM use with physicians. CONCLUSION: Our data suggest that physicians should increase their knowledge of CAM therapies and ask cancer patients about previous CAM history.