Uterine Balloon Tamponade under Ultrasound Guidance in Women with Postpartum Hemorrhage: A Retrospective Cohort Study.

Background: Postpartum hemorrhage (PPH) represents one of the principal causes of maternal mortality and morbidity worldwide. Uterine balloon tamponade (UBT) is recommended for the treatment of postpartum hemorrhage due to uterine atony in women who do not respond to pharmacological first-line treatment. The success of UBT in bleeding control is related to the correct positioning of the device, since incorrect insertion can be associated with ineffectiveness and requires time-consuming repositioning maneuvers, with a further increase in blood loss. The use of ultrasound (US) during UBT may increase the success rate by preventing wrong positioning. This study aims to demonstrate the role of US guidance during UBT and to assess whether US guidance can ease positioning and reduce insertion times, preventing additional repositioning maneuvers, in comparison with a US check carried out after balloon insertion. Methods: This was a retrospective study including 370 women who underwent vaginal delivery, had PPH caused by uterine atony and required UBT at Sant'Anna Hospital from 2015 to 2019. The exclusion criteria were an abnormal placental site, vaginal or cervical trauma, coagulation defects, uterine anomalies, previous postpartum hemorrhage and previous caesarean section. Included subjects were divided into two groups: the US-guided group (n = 200) underwent Bakri balloon positioning under US guidance, and the non-guided group (n = 170) received a US check only after balloon insertion. The primary outcome was the success rate of the procedure, expressed as the percentage of cases with bleeding control without the need for balloon repositioning; the secondary outcomes were the length of the procedure and some parameters related to blood loss. Results: The success rate was 99% for the US-guided group vs. 86% for the non-guided group. None of the patients required hysterectomy. In the US-guided group with respect to the non-guided group, we observed a significant reduction in blood loss (1100 ± 450 vs. 1500 ± 600 mL; p < 0.001), Δhemoglobin level (1.8 ± 1.1 vs. 2.7 ± 2.0 g/dL, p < 0.001) and time required for the procedure (8 vs. 13 min, p < 0.001). Conclusions: Our data suggest that the use of US guidance for placement of UBT was associated with reduced need for balloon repositioning, lower blood loss, and faster resolution of postpartum hemorrhage.

Candidiasis in Pregnancy: Relevant Aspects of the Pathology for the Mother and the Fetus and Therapeutic Strategies.

Vulvovaginal candidiasis (VVC) is a common condition that can lead to significant discomfort, affecting approximately 70-75% of women at least once in their lives. During pregnancy, the prevalence of VVC is estimated to be around 20%, peaking at about 30% in the third trimester, with a number of specific risk factors predisposing to yeast infection being identified and needing elucidation. This review aims to provide updated knowledge on candidiasis during pregnancy, addressing risk factors and maternal and neonatal outcomes, as well as discussing optimal therapeutic strategies to safeguard mothers and newborns. The bibliographic search involved two biomedical databases, PubMed and Embase, without imposing time limits. Among all Candida spp., Candida albicans remains the most frequent causative species. The hyperestrogenic environment of the vaginal mucosa and reduced immune defenses, physiological effects of pregnancy, create conditions favorable for Candida spp. vaginal colonization and hence VVC. Recent evidence shows an association between VVC and adverse obstetric outcomes, including premature membrane rupture (PROM), chorioamnionitis, preterm birth, and puerperal infections. Prompt and effective management of this condition is therefore crucial to prevent adverse obstetric outcomes, maternal-fetal transmission, and neonatal disease. Additional studies are required to confirm the benefits of systemic treatment for maternal candida infection or colonization in preventing premature birth or neonatal systemic candidiasis.

Maternal Origins of Neonatal Infections: What Do Obstetrician-Gynecologist Should/Could Do?

Neonatal infections are responsible for 20% of neonatal deaths yearly. In this review, we focused on the origins of the commoner neonatal infections, and we define the role of obstetricians. Regarding group B Streptococcus, a key measure for the prevention of neonatal infection is the vaginal-rectal culture screening at term pregnancy. Intravenous penicillin is the first-line prophylaxis at the start of labor, with intravenous ampicillin as an alternative. First-generation cephalosporins or clindamycin are recommended in case of penicillin allergy. Concerning urinary tract infections (UTIs), guidelines recommend complete urinalysis and urine culture in the first trimester of pregnancy for the screening of asymptomatic bacteriuria. For lower UTIs, guidelines recommend nitrofurantoin as first-choice antibiotic. Amoxicillin or cefalexin are second-line antibiotics. For upper UTIs, guidelines recommend cephalexin per os as first line. Candida spp. colonization affects 20% of pregnant women; however, congenital fetal candidosis and Candida amnionitis are rare. First-line treatment in case of symptomatic vaginitis during pregnancy or asymptomatic colonization during the third trimester is vaginal clotrimazole. Fluconazole is not approved in pregnancy, especially during the first trimester. Genital mycoplasmas colonization during pregnancy is usually asymptomatic and associated with bacterial vaginosis. Colonization is related to neonatal respiratory distress syndrome (RDS), bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD), pneumonia, chorioamnionitis, and sepsis. Macrolides are the first-line treatment along with lactobacillus supplementation. In cases of preterm premature rupture of membranes or preterm labor, ceftriaxone, clarithromycin, and metronidazole are required to prevent intra-amniotic infection. Intra-amniotic infection affects 1 to 5% of deliveries at term and one-third of preterm ones and is associated with perinatal death, early-onset neonatal sepsis, RDS, BPD, pneumonia, meningitis, and prematurity-related diseases. Guidelines recommend a combination of ampicillin and gentamicin, and in case of caesarean section, an additional dose of clindamycin or metronidazole is required. In conclusion, obstetricians should be aware that the treatment of maternal infection during pregnancy can prevent potentially lethal infections in the newborn. KEY POINTS: · Part of neonatal infections starts from maternal infections that must be treated during pregnancy.. · Streptococcus group B and asymptomatic bacteriuria should be investigated in pregnancy and treated.. · Mycoplasma and ureaplasma vaginal colonization during pregnancy is related to negative neonatal outcomes..

Successful Vaginal Delivery after Induction of Labour in a Patient Treated for Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma of the Cervix: A Case Report and Literature Review.

OBJECTIVE: Primary non-Hodgkin's lymphomas of the cervix are rare; they represent about 1% of all cases. There are no available guidelines regarding the safest mode of delivery after treatment and resolution of a cervical lymphoma. Case Report. We report the first case of a successful vaginal delivery after induction of labour in a woman recovered from a primary large B-cell lymphoma of the cervix and a literature review. CONCLUSION: In carefully selected patients with fully treated non-Hodgkin's lymphoma of the cervix with no residual disease, induction of labour via prostaglandins pessary may be a safe option if indicated.

Childbirth Care among SARS-CoV-2 Positive Women in Italy.

The new coronavirus emergency spread to Italy when little was known about the infection's impact on mothers and newborns. This study aims to describe the extent to which clinical practice has protected childbirth physiology and preserved the mother-child bond during the first wave of the pandemic in Italy. A national population-based prospective cohort study was performed enrolling women with confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection admitted for childbirth to any Italian hospital from 25 February to 31 July 2020. All cases were prospectively notified, and information on peripartum care (mother-newborn separation, skin-to-skin contact, breastfeeding, and rooming-in) and maternal and perinatal outcomes were collected in a structured form and entered in a web-based secure system. The paper describes a cohort of 525 SARS-CoV-2 positive women who gave birth. At hospital admission, 44.8% of the cohort was asymptomatic. At delivery, 51.9% of the mothers had a birth support person in the delivery room; the average caesarean section rate of 33.7% remained stable compared to the national figure. On average, 39.0% of mothers were separated from their newborns at birth, 26.6% practised skin-to-skin, 72.1% roomed in with their babies, and 79.6% of the infants received their mother's milk. The infants separated and not separated from their SARS-CoV-2 positive mothers both had good outcomes. At the beginning of the pandemic, childbirth raised awareness and concern due to limited available evidence and led to "better safe than sorry" care choices. An improvement of the peripartum care indicators was observed over time.

A multicenter study comparing surgical outcomes and ultrasonographic evaluation of scarring after laparoscopic myomectomy with conventional versus barbed sutures.

OBJECTIVE: To compare clinical outcomes after laparoscopic myomectomy using traditional interrupted sutures (TIS) versus continuous barbed suture (CBS) for treatment of symptomatic uterine myomas. METHODS: In a multicenter retrospective study, data were obtained for women with uterine myomas who underwent laparoscopic myomectomy at three centers between January 1, 2009 and January 31, 2015. Suturing of the uterine wall had been performed initially using TIS; CBS were used from January 31, 2012. RESULTS: Overall, laparoscopic myomectomy was performed using CBS for 360 women and using TIS for another 360. The mean operative time was 52±19min using CBS and 67±21min using TIS groups (P=0.001). The mean blood loss was 135±35mL in the CBS group and 215±55mL in the TIS group (P=0.006). The mean decrease in hemoglobin was 1.2±0.2g/L in the CBS group and 1.2±0.2g/L in the TIS group (P=0.072). CONCLUSION: Laparoscopic myomectomy using CBS is a suitable alternative to TIS in the treatment of uterine myomas for women with up to three tumors.

Advantages of laparoscopy versus laparotomy in extremely obese women (BMI>35) with early-stage endometrial cancer: a multicenter study.

BACKGROUND: The aim of the present study was to demonstrate the advantages of laparoscopy versus laparotomy for treatment of extremely obese women with early-stage endometrial cancer. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Seventy-five extremely obese patients with Body Mass Index >35 kg/m(2) and clinical stage I endometrial cancer underwent hysterectomy and bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy, and in all cases we performed systematic pelvic lymphadenectomy by laparoscopy (mean BMI of 38±7.3 kg/m(2)) or laparotomy (mean BMI of 39±8.1 kg/m(2)). RESULTS: In two (4.4%) patients of the laparoscopy group we observed a port site haematoma that was resolved without a second surgery. In three patients of the laparotomy-group, we observed dehiscence of the abdominal suture with surgical site infection that was re-sutured. CONCLUSION: Laparoscopy can be considered a safe and effective therapeutic procedure for managing early-stage endometrial cancer in extremely obese women with a lower complication rate, lower surgical site infection and postoperative hospitalization.

Vaginal hysterectomy and multimodal anaesthesia with bipolar vessel sailing (Biclamp(®) forceps) versus conventional suture technique: quality results' analysis.

PURPOSE: The medical and economic benefits of the transvaginal approach over the abdominal and laparoscopic methods are demonstrated in many studies. Vaginal hysterectomy with bipolar vessel sailing (BiClamp(®)) represents an example of mininvasive surgery and could be a valid and cost-benefit alternative in the surgical treatment of benign gynaecologic disease. BiClamp(®) may be carried out according to Clavè's technique with a good result in postoperative pain. METHODS: Prospective randomized study (Canadian Task Force classification I). We compared the vaginal hysterectomy with salpingo-oophorectomies with BiClamp(®) and multimodal anaesthesia (group A 30 patients) with vaginal hysterectomy with salpingo-oophorectomies and spinal anaesthesia (group B 30 patients). RESULTS: The median operating time was 33.5 min for group A and 54.5 min for group B (p < 0.0001). The median blood loss was 59.25 ml in group A and 81.75 ml in group B. The median hospital stay was 1.6 ± 0.58 days for group A and 2.55 ± 0.66 days for group B. Postoperative pain was statistically different between groups in the immediate postoperatory times, at 2 and at 6 h from the surgery and at 10 p.m. (p < 0.0001). Analyses of cost-effectiveness have stated advantages in terms of costs and indirect-direct benefits but also in earlier resumption of working. CONCLUSIONS: BiClamp(®) technique with multimodal anaesthesia has advantages from surgical, anaesthesiology and economic point of view. It is a minimally invasive surgery characterised by lower morbidity, quicker surgery times and reduced costs when compared to classical vaginal hysterectomy. BiClamp(®) technique represents a new border in vaginal surgery.

Accuracy and efficacy of narrow-band imaging versus white light hysteroscopy for the diagnosis of endometrial cancer and hyperplasia: a multicenter controlled study.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to evaluate, in a multicenter study, whether the narrow-band imaging (NBI) technology may improve the diagnostic reliability of hysteroscopy in the diagnosis of endometrial cancer and hyperplasia. METHODS: A total of 801 outpatient women undergoing diagnostic hysteroscopy were enrolled. All women underwent fluid minihysteroscopy with white light (WL) and NBI exploration with endometrial eye-directed biopsy. RESULTS: NBI hysteroscopy significantly improved the sensitivity for diagnosing endometrial cancer compared with WL (93% and 81%, P < 0.05). In detecting low-risk hyperplasia, the use of NBI significantly improved the sensitivity (82% vs 56%, P < 0.005) and positive predictive value (79% and 71%, P < 0.05) compared with WL hysteroscopy. In the diagnosis of high-risk hyperplasia, NBI significantly improved the sensitivity (60% vs 20%, P < 0.005) and positive predictive value (67% and 25%, P < 0.0001), whereas no difference was seen for specificity (99% and 99%, P > 0.005), negative predictive value (99% and 99%, P > 0.05), and accuracy (99% and 98%, P > 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: NBI showed significantly higher values in sensitivity for the detection of low-risk and high-risk hyperplasia, and this could be useful for reducing the risk of missing severe pathologies at hysteroscopy, and improving the diagnosis of preneoplastic and neoplastic pathologies. NBI hysteroscopy showed a very high diagnostic accuracy for the exploration of the uterine cavity, reducing the number of biopsies performed in wrong areas, although multicenter randomized trials are required to establish the true value of this interesting technological advancement.

Laparoendoscopic single-site surgery for treatment of concomitant ovarian cystectomy and cholecystectomy.

Since the first laparoscopic appendectomy was performed by Semm in 1983, laparoscopic surgery has become the criterion standard surgical route for treatment of several pathologic conditions across disciplines. Attempts to minimize access-related injuries and complications resulted in development of laparoendoscopic single-site surgery (LESS), which, because of the decreased number of ports used, may be the next generation of minimally invasive surgery. Laparoscopic single-site surgery has been reported in nephrectomy, pyeloplasty, radical prostatectomy, cholecystectomy, and colorectal, bariatric, and gynecologic surgery. This technique may increase the benefits of traditional minimally invasive surgery such as decreased blood loss and postoperative pain, faster recovery time, fewer complications, and better cosmetic results, without increasing costs. Herein, we present a case report of single-port laparoscopic ovarian cystectomy and concomitant cholecystectomy performed with a multi-instrument access port (TriPort; Olympus America Inc., Center Valley, Pennsylvania). Single-port surgery eliminates the problem of multiple and different site placement for accessory ports, typical of these procedures when performed simultaneously at conventional laparoscopy.

Narrow-band imaging in diagnosis of endometrial cancer and hyperplasia: a new option?

STUDY OBJECTIVE: To estimate whether the use of narrow-band imaging (NBI) hysteroscopy increases concordance between visual identification and a histologic diagnosis of endometrial cancer and hyperplasia. DESIGN: Prospective study (Canadian Task Force classification: II-2). SETTING: Department of obstetrics and gynecology, University of Eastern Piedmont, Novara, Italy. PATIENTS: 209 consecutive patients with abnormal uterine bleeding. INTERVENTIONS: White-light hysteroscopy and NBI hysteroscopy followed by direct biopsy. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: The sensitivity and specificity of conventional hysteroscopy in predicting a diagnosis of cancer and hyperplasia were, respectively, 84.21% (95% confidence interval [CI], 79.27-89.15) and 99.47% (95% CI, 98.49-100.0), and 64.86% (95% CI, 58.39-71.34) and 98.77% (95% CI, 97.27-100.0), and of NBI hysteroscopy were 94.74% (95% CI, 91.71-97.76) and 97.89% (95% CI, 95.95-99.84), and 78.38% (95% CI, 72.8-83.96) and 97.67% (95% CI, 96.63-99.72). The concordance of conventional and NBI hysteroscopy with the histopathologic findings (measured using the Cohen kappa) was, respectively, 88.80% (95% CI, 86.2%-96.3%) and 91.78% (95% CI, 89.6%-98.2%), a difference of 2.98% (95% CI, 0-9) in favor of NBI. CONCLUSION: Narrow-band imaging hysteroscopy can accurately predict a histologic diagnosis of endometrial cancer or hyperplasia.

Minilaparotomy in spinal anaesthesia: a surgical choice in treatment of benign gynaecologic disease.

PURPOSE: Minilaparotomic access in spinal anaesthesia represents an example of mininvasive surgery and could be a valid cost-benefit alternative in the surgical treatment of benign gynaecologic diseases. METHODS: The study is a randomized study. We analyzed a consecutive series of 80 patients treated for benign gynaecological diseases with spinal (group A) or with general anaesthesia (group B). RESULTS: The median length of incision was 5 cm. The average operating time was 40.5 +/- 9.39 min, without differences between groups. The average hospital stay was 0.71 days shorter (p < or = 0.0001) and the postoperative pain was lower at 2 and 6 h from the surgery and at 10 p.m. in the group A (p < or = 0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: Minilaparotomy in spinal anaesthesia carries advantages from economic point of view with reduction of length of stay in hospital which is an important parameter for the evaluation of the quality of surgical treatments.