Tubal flushing with oil-based or water-based contrast at hysterosalpingography for infertility: long-term reproductive outcomes of a randomized trial.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the impact of oil-based versus water-based contrast on pregnancy and live birth rates ≤5 years after hysterosalpingography (HSG) in infertile women. DESIGN: A 5-year follow-up study of a multicenter randomized trial. SETTING: Hospitals. PATIENT(S): Infertile women with an ovulatory cycle, 18-39 years of age, and having a low risk of tubal pathology. INTERVENTION(S): Use of oil-based versus water-based contrast during HSG. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): Ongoing pregnancy, live births, time to ongoing pregnancy, second ongoing pregnancy. RESULT(S): A total of 1,119 women were randomly assigned to HSG with oil-based contrast (n = 557) or water-based contrast (n = 562). After 5 years, 444 of 555 women in the oil group (80.0%) and 419 of 559 women in the water group (75.0%) had an ongoing pregnancy (relative risk [RR] 1.07; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.00-1.14), and 415 of 555 women in the oil group (74.8%) and 376 of 559 women in the water group (67.3%) had live births (RR 1.11; 95% CI 1.03-1.20). In the oil group, 228 pregnancies (41.1%) were conceived naturally versus 194 (34.7%) pregnancies in the water group (RR 1.18; 95% CI 1.02-1.38). The time to ongoing pregnancy was significantly shorter in the oil group versus the water group (10.0 vs. 13.7 months; hazard ratio, 1.25; 95% CI 1.09-1.43). No difference was found in the occurrence of a second ongoing pregnancy. CONCLUSION(S): During a 5-year time frame, ongoing pregnancy and live birth rates are higher after tubal flushing with oil-based contrast during HSG compared with water-based contrast. More pregnancies are naturally conceived and time to ongoing pregnancy is shorter after HSG with oil-based contrast. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: Netherlands Trial Register (NTR) 3270 and NTR6577(www.trialregister.nl).

Oil-Based or Water-Based Contrast for Hysterosalpingography in Infertile Women.

BACKGROUND: Pregnancy rates among infertile women have been reported to increase after hysterosalpingography, but it is unclear whether the type of contrast medium used (oil-based or water-soluble contrast) influences this potential therapeutic effect. METHODS: We performed a multicenter, randomized trial in 27 hospitals in the Netherlands in which infertile women who were undergoing hysterosalpingography were randomly assigned to undergo this procedure with the use of oil-based or water-based contrast. Subsequently, couples received expectant management or the women underwent intrauterine insemination. The primary outcome was ongoing pregnancy within 6 months after randomization. Outcomes were analyzed according to the intention-to-treat principle. RESULTS: A total of 1119 women were randomly assigned to hysterosalpingography with oil contrast (557 women) or water contrast (562 women). A total of 220 of 554 women in the oil group (39.7%) and 161 of 554 women in the water group (29.1%) had an ongoing pregnancy (rate ratio, 1.37; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.16 to 1.61; P<0.001), and 214 of 552 women in the oil group (38.8%) and 155 of 552 women in the water group (28.1%) had live births (rate ratio, 1.38; 95% CI, 1.17 to 1.64; P<0.001). Rates of adverse events were low and similar in the two groups. CONCLUSIONS: Rates of ongoing pregnancy and live births were higher among women who underwent hysterosalpingography with oil contrast than among women who underwent this procedure with water contrast. (Netherlands Trial Register number, NTR3270 .).

Complication rate of uterine morcellation in laparoscopic supracervical hysterectomy: a retrospective cohort study.

BACKGROUND: Over the last decades minimally invasive surgical techniques are increasingly used to treat symptomatic leiomyomas, providing the patient decreased morbidity and more rapid return to daily activities. Morcellation is the fragmentation of a large mass into smaller pieces to make resection through port incisions possible. Over the last year there has been a discussion worldwide about the safety of morcellation. OBJECTIVE: The aim of our study was to identify the complication rate of power morcellation at our institution. STUDY DESIGN: We performed a retrospective chart analysis of patients undergoing laparoscopic supracervical hysterectomy with morcellation. We compared the outcomes of patients undergoing laparoscopic supracervical hysterectomy with the use of power morcellation with a control group of women who underwent laparoscopic-assisted vaginal hysterectomy without morcellation. Women who underwent hysterectomy because of suspected malignancy were excluded. RESULTS: A total of 358 patients underwent laparoscopic hysterectomy between 2004 and 2013; 186 laparoscopic supracervical hysterectomies and 172 laparoscopic-assisted vaginal hysterectomies. The main indication for laparoscopic supracervical hysterectomy was heavy menstrual bleeding and pelvic pressure or pain (94.5%). Baseline characteristics were not significantly different except for body mass index, with a mean of 25.7 in laparoscopic supracervical hysterectomy and 27.0 in laparoscopic-assisted vaginal hysterectomy. There was a significant greater uterine weight in the laparoscopic supracervical hysterectomy group (260g vs. 202g). The overall conversion rate was 5.3% (n=19), with no significant difference between the two groups and 79% of conversions being performed for strategic reasons. There was no statistical difference in intra-operative complication rate (2.1% vs. 1.2%). Pathology reports showed no unexpected malignancies. There was no statistical difference in the complication rate post-operatively (2.2% vs. 2.9%). The overall complication rate of laparoscopic supracervical hysterectomy was 4.3% (n=8). Need for reoperation after laparoscopic supracervical hysterectomy was necessary in 7 patients (3.8%), with cervical amputation being the most common type of reoperation (n=5). In the laparoscopic-assisted vaginal hysterectomy group there were significantly more adhesiolysis performed (n=4). Parasitic myomas were discovered in 1 patient two years after morcellation (0.5%). CONCLUSION: Our study showed no injuries directly related to morcellation. There were no unexpected malignancies morcellated and only one case of parasitic myomas (0.5%).

[A woman with an unusual sonogram of the abdomen]. / Een vrouw met een bijzonder echobeeld van de buik.

A 29-year-old female complained of abdominal swelling. Transvaginal sonography showed an unusual view of a cystic ovarian mass composed of various dense, round structures. A laparotomic right ovarian cystectomy was performed. The diagnosis was a mature teratoma or dermoid cyst, which is a benign germ cell tumor composed of differentiated, adult-type tissues.