[Cross-sectional study of drug use in pregnancy]. / Presjecno istrazivanje (cross-sectional study) uporabe lijekova u trudnoci.

The aim of the paper is to investigate the impact of drugs utilization during pregnancy in the City of Zagreb. This one-month cross-sectional study was conducted in all four Zagreb maternity hospitals using a questionnaire administered to 893 pregnant women. The women used a mean of 2.6 drugs. The vitamin-mineral complex was the leading medicament used by the women during the study period (62.9%) and during pregnancy period. The leading drugs taken between hospital admission and delivery were metoclopramide (10.1%) and diazepam (6.0%). Utilization of diazepam is high during the entire pregnancy. According to FDA risk classification during pregnancy, most drugs are in B class (88%), and in A class (77%). Percent of FDA C class is 16%. In the FDA classes with fetal risk, D class has 47.5%, and X class, with only one woman using drug from this class has a 0.1% of total utilization. In spite of some limitations of the study, the results pointed to the uneconomical, potentially harmful drug use during pregnancy and puerperium, obviously calling for therapy quality upgrading in this vulnerable period of life.

Diagnosis and management of Rh alloimmunization.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the current problem of alloimmunization in a tertiary referral center in Croatia. The results obtained were compared to data published worldwide. METHODS: Retrospective case analysis included women with Rhesus (Rh) alloimmunization treated in our department from January 1997 to January 2003. Data of interest included the incidence, prevention, diagnosis and treatment, with the final point being perinatal mortality and morbidity. RESULTS: 23 pregnant women with alloimmunization were identified. The incidence was 0.138% of deliveries in the same time period. The median gestational age at diagnosis/referral was 22 (range 9-37) weeks. Anti-D antigen, alone or in combination with the other antigens, was responsible for more than 90% of the alloimmunization cases included. A defined protocol for prevention of Rh D immunization after previous delivery was not followed properly in 9/19 cases. A particular problem was prophylaxis after previous pregnancy termination (TOP), whereby only 1/14 woman received adequate prophylaxis and only after 2 of 5 TOPs. Regarding fetal treatment, 9/23 women had a total of 24 intrauterine intravascular blood transfusions. Overall, perinatal mortality was 13%, and the median gestational age at delivery was 34 (range 31-40) weeks. In all there were 31 fetal exchange transfusions after delivery performed in 14/20 newborns. CONCLUSION: Despite precise diagnostic criteria and modern therapeutic options, alloimmunization remains a problem in Croatia. It is still related with a high perinatal mortality and morbidity. The main problem is inadequate prevention.

Long-term treatment with vaginal estradiol tablets--an impact on uterine artery blood flow.

OBJECTIVE: We investigated, using color Doppler ultrasound, possible detectable blood changes of prolonged treatment with 17-beta-estradiol tablets on uterine artery blood flow, in a cohort of low risk postmenopausal women. METHODS: 39 postmenopausal women, who were taking local estrogen therapy for at least 6 months, were examined in the study group. Forty-two women who never used hormone replacement therapy consisted a control group. They were examined with color Doppler ultrasound and the pulsatility index of the uterine artery was measured. The groups were divided into three subgroups (the age, the duration of the postmenopause, and the duration of the treatment) and the data were compared among groups and within subgroups. RESULTS: The overall mean age of the patients was 66 years, the mean duration of the postmenopause was 15 years, the overall mean PI was 1.96 +/- 0.90, and the mean duration of taking vaginal estradiol tablets was 1.97 years for the study group; and 64 years, 13 years and 2.88 +/- 0.96 for the control group, respectively. There was a difference in the mean PI among groups. No significant differences in pulsatility index values in the subgroups were found. CONCLUSION: Long-term treatments with vaginal estradiol tablets in low risk women causes lowering of the uterine artery PI values compared to the women who are not receiving hormone replacement therapy.

Socio-demographic characteristics and lifestyle habits of pregnant women smokers.

The aim of this study was to describe anthropometric, clinical, socio-demographic characteristics and lifestyle habits of pregnant smokers in comparison to pregnant nonsmokers. During years 1999-2003, 1,435 pregnant smokers and 4,772 pregnant nonsmokers were interviewed after delivery with a questionnaire. They were recorded clinical, anthropometric and socio-demographic data, smoking status, labor outcome, maternal and fetal hemoglobin concentrations for each patient. The two groups were comparable in anthropometric and clinical characteristics, duration of pregnancy and mode of delivery, except for birth weights, which were significantly lower in newborns of smokers. Maternal hemoglobin concentrations were significantly lower in smokers, but fetal hemoglobin concentrations were significantly higher in babies of smokers. The proportion of pregnant women who smoked during pregnancy was higher among urban women, among women with lower educational level and among unemployed subjects in comparison with nonsmokers. The pregnant women who smoked during pregnancy were more often caffeine and alcohol consumers. To further reduce smoking during pregnancy it is important to continue to promote smoking cessation among teenagers.

The treatment of cervical dysplasia with laser.

In 14 patients with different stages of cervical dysplasia laser vapourization was performed. Patients were between 25 and 44 year old (mean 35). Gynaecological history included 0-2 deliveries (mean 1.5). The procedure is minimally invasive after which complete cervical restitution is achieved. Control PAPA smear taken after 2 months, 6 months and one year respectively showed maximal therapeutic success. No complications were observed. The procedure is recommended for young women planning childbirth.

[Diagnosis and therapy of cervical insufficiency]. / Dijagnostika i terapija cervikalne insuficijencije.

Cervical insufficiency is one of the risk factors for late spontaneous miscarriage and preterm labor. As cervical insufficiency can reoccur in the every subsequent pregnancy, there is a need for precise diagnostic modality and therapeutic procedure in order to reduce perinatal mortality and morbidity. Traditionally, the diagnosis of cervical insufficiency was made based on the patient's history. In this cases the intervention in the form of the cervical cerclage, was not found to be useful, i.e. perinatal mortality and morbidity remained unchanged. It is a similar situation in cervical insufficiency suspected based on hysterosalpingography and clinical examination. Recently, ultrasound, or more precisely transvaginal cervical assessment--cervicometry, was introduced in order to assess the morphological changes indicative for cervical insufficiency. In this literature review, we analyzed ultrasound based markers of cervical insufficiency, with their specificity, sensitivity, positive and negative predictive value, as well as usefulness of cervical cerclage in such cases.