Hysterosalpingography: a potential alternative to laparoscopy in the evaluation of tubal obstruction in infertile patients?

BACKGROUND: Evaluation of the fallopian tubes are important for infertile patients. The two most important diagnostic procedures used to evaluate tubal patency are hysterosalpingography and laparoscopy. OBJECTIVES: To asses the hysterosalpingography and laparoscopy results of patients diagnosed with infertility and investigate the diagnostic value of hysterosalpingography in patients with tubal factor infertility. METHODS: The hysterosalpingography and laparoscopy results of 208 patients who presented to the Obstetrics and Gynecology Clinic at Dicle University, Faculty of Medicine between January 2014- January 2018 were retrospectively evaluated. Hysterosalpingography and laparoscopy results were compared with regard to the investigation of the presence of tubal obstruction and of the pelvic structures that could cause tubal obstruction. The specificity, sensitivity, positive, and negative predictive values of hysterosalpingography were computed. RESULTS: The number of patients evaluated was 208. The ratio of primary infertile patients was 57.2% and 42.8% was secondary infertile. Hysterosalpingography was found to have a specificity of 64.6%, the sensitivity of 81.3%, the positive predictive value of 56.4%, and a negative predictive value of 86% in the determination of tubal obstruction. CONCLUSION: Patients with suspected tubal infertility can primarily be examined using hysterosalpingography in consideration of the invasive nature and the higher complication rate of laparoscopy.

Is there a role of prophylactic bilateral internal iliac artery ligation on reducing the bleeding during cesarean hysterectomy in patients with placenta percreta? A retrospective cohort study.

OBJECTIVES: Our study aims to evaluate the effect of bilateral prophylactic internal iliac artery ligation (IIAL) on bleeding in patients with placenta percreta who undergo cesarean hysterectomy (CH) with the use of blunt dissection technique. MATERIAL AND METHODS: This retrospective cohort study included 96 patients with placenta percreta who underwent planned CH with using the blunt dissection technique to allow better vesico-uterine dissection at the gynecology and obstetrics unit of a university hospital between the years 2017-2019. We carried out bilateral IIAL before CH in the study group (group 1) while we performed only CH in the control group (group 2). RESULTS: Group 1 and Group 2 consisted of 50 and 46 patients; respectively. There was no statistical difference between the two groups as regards to the mean estimated blood loss, the mean transfused blood products, the mean operation time, and the number of complications. In total, 24 patients (25%) had complications with the finding that the most common one was bladder injury (16/96, 16,66%). CONCLUSIONS: Routine bilateral prophylactic IIAL before CH in placenta percreta cases does not have a beneficial effect on decreasing the amount of bleeding and the amount blood transfusion.

Retrospective evaluation of patients treated for ectopic pregnancy: Experience of a tertiary center

Abstract Objective In recent years, there has been an increase in the incidence of ectopic pregnancies; therefore, it is important for tertiary centers to report their approaches and outcomes to expand and improve treatment modalities. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the general characteristics, treatment and outcomes of cases diagnosed with ectopic pregnancy. Methods In total, 432 patients treated for ectopic pregnancy between February 2016 and June 2019 were retrospectively evaluated. Results Overall, 370 patients had tubal pregnancy, 32 had cesarean scar pregnancy, 18 had pregnancy of unknown location, 6 had cervical pregnancy, and 6 had interstitial pregnancy. The most important risk factors were advanced age (> 35 years; prevalence: 31.2%) and smoking (prevalence: 27.1%). Thirty patients who did not have any symptoms of rupture and whose human chorionic gonadotropin (β-hCG) levels were ≤ 200 mIU/ml were followed-up with expectant management, while 316 patients whose β-hCG levels were between 1,500 mIU/ml and 5,000 mIU/ml did not have an intrauterine gestational sac on the transvaginal or abdominal ultrasound, did not demonstrate findings of rupture, and were treated with a systemic multi-dose methotrexate treatment protocol. In total, 24 patients who did not respond to the medical treatment, 20 patients whose β-hCG levels were > 5,000 mIU/ml, 16 patients who had shown symptoms of rupture at the initial presentation, and 6 patients diagnosed with interstitial pregnancy underwent surgery. Patients with cervical and scar pregnancies underwent ultrasound-guided curettage, and no additional treatment was needed. Conclusion The fertility status of the patients, the clinical and laboratory findings, and the levels of β-hCG are the factors that must be considered in planning the appropriate treatment.

Topical Rifampicin versus Povidone-Iodine for the Prevention of Incisional Surgical Site Infections Following Benign Gynecologic Surgery: A Prospective, Randomized, Controlled Trial.

In this prospective, randomized, controlled study we investigated the effect of subcutaneous rifampicin and povidone-iodine irrigation on incisional surgical site infection. Superficial incisional surgical site infection (SSI) following gynecologic surgery is a serious problem for both patient and surgeon in terms of increased morbidity, length of hospital stay, anxiety, and costs. Three hundred patients scheduled for abdominal surgery due to various benign gynecological pathologies were randomly assigned to one of three groups of 100 members each, as follows: the subcutaneous tissue was irrigated with saline in group 1; saline + rifampicin in group 2; saline +10% povidone iodine in group 3. Patients were invited to follow-up once every 10 days in a 30-day period for evaluation. Patients who developed a superficial incisional SSI were recorded. The superficial incisional SSI rate increased significantly with the use of saline alone (p = 0.006). There was no significant difference between saline +10% povidone iodine and saline + rifampicin (p=0.055). The results suggest that the incidence of superficial incisional SSI is significantly reduced when irrigation is performed using rifampicin and povidone-iodine compared with using saline alone.