Reflection of Trainee Class Gender Proportion in the Leadership of Minimally Invasive Gynecologic Surgery Fellowships.

STUDY OBJECTIVE: To describe the gender makeup of historic fellow classes, as well as those in the roles of associate program director and program director. To determine the representation ratio of the current fellowship program leadership related to historic fellowship class gender proportion. DESIGN: Retrospective observational study. SETTING: Fellowship in minimally invasive gynecologic surgery (FMIGS) sites. PARTICIPANTS: No patient data were captured or used in this study. The subjects included all FMIGS fellows, program directors, and associate program directors for whom there was publicly available data from 2001 to present. INTERVENTIONS: Not applicable. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Most FMIGS fellow classes have consisted of mostly female surgeons ranging from 40% to 89% female. The representation ratios for the current program leadership are 0.57, 0.82, and 0.71 for program directors, associate program directors, and all leadership positions, respectively. CONCLUSION: Representation ratios indicate that the current gender makeup of program leadership is not representative of the gender makeup of graduated fellow classes.

Multidisciplinary Approach to Robotic Resection of Abdominal Wall Endometriosis and Mesh Repair.

STUDY OBJECTIVE: To demonstrate a technique for robot-assisted laparoscopic excision of abdominal wall endometriosis and mesh reinforcement of the subsequent defect. DESIGN: Description and demonstration of surgical technique. SETTING: Abdominal wall endometriosis most commonly takes hold after seeding of a previous cesarean scar [1-5]. As of 2018, 31.9% of deliveries in the United States were accomplished by cesarean section [6]. With endometriosis at an estimated incidence of 11% in the United States, evaluation for, and minimally invasive management of, abdominal wall endometriosis is becoming an essential skillset for the gynecologic surgeon [7]. INTERVENTIONS: Robot-assisted laparoscopic evaluation of size and location of lesion in relation to anatomic landmarks. Demonstration of techniques to identify borders of endometriotic lesion including clinical and microscopic. Minimally invasive resection of lesion with preservation of vital structures. Placement of abdominal wall mesh for reinforcement of rectus muscle and fascial defect. Peritoneal closure to minimize adhesions and herniation into defect. Brief review of alternative approaches to surgical management. CONCLUSION: Minimally invasive resection of abdominal wall endometriosis with subsequent mesh reinforcement provides a surgical option with less morbidity while still accomplishing successful treatment.

Impact of Uterine Sliding Sign in Routine United States Ultrasound Practice.

OBJECTIVES: The study aim was to evaluate the diagnostic performance of the uterine sliding sign in predicting deeply infiltrating endometriosis in the setting of non-physician sonographers performing but not interpreting the maneuver. The impact of uterine sliding sign has not been previously demonstrated in this practice setting. METHODS: Physicians' remote interpretations of transvaginal ultrasound examinations in 2016, before uterine sliding sign, were compared to examinations in 2019 after addition of uterine sliding sign to determine the diagnostic rates. Surgical and histopathological results were reviewed to determine sensitivity and specificity of the respective exam techniques. RESULTS: Two hundred eighty-five transvaginal ultrasounds were performed in 2016 and 390 sliding sign ultrasounds in 2019. The number of deeply infiltrating endometriosis cases identified increased significantly from 2% to 6% during the study period (chi-square, Fisher's exact test p = .012). The sensitivity and specificity of routine pelvic sonography for detecting deeply infiltrating endometriosis improved from 36%/94% to 68%/98%. CONCLUSIONS: Uterine sliding sign videos should be included in the standard sonographic protocol for patients presenting with chronic pelvic pain, endometriosis history, or sonographic evidence of endometriosis in the setting of physicians interpreting sonographic images obtained by non-physicians.

Critically High Carboxyhemoglobin Level following Extensive Hysteroscopic Myomectomy.

Studies have demonstrated that during hysteroscopic myomectomy with bipolar diathermy, carbon monoxide is produced and enters the patient's circulation. However, little is known regarding the immediate or long-term sequelae of transient rises in carboxyhemoglobin levels during hysteroscopic surgery. This paper aims to suggest recommendations for acute evaluation, management, patient counseling, and future research. We present a case of a 36-year-old woman (Gravida 0, Para 0) with abnormal uterine bleeding-leiomyoma and resultant anemia, undergoing hysteroscopic resection of a large submucous myoma. During surgery, the patient was found to have a critically elevated level of carboxyhemoglobin and accompanying electrocardiogram derangements. She was managed with prolonged intubation, 100% O2, and trending of her carboxyhemoglobin levels before extubation. This demonstrates the importance of being cognizant of the potentially toxic gaseous byproducts of bipolar resection and of including intravasation of these byproducts in one's consideration of patient safety during extensive resections. Bipolar hysteroscopic resection of large leiomyomas may result in critically high carboxyhemoglobin levels, which can impair end-organ oxygen delivery with resultant ischemia; the risks of myocardial ischemia should be discussed with the anesthesia team before attempting an extensive resection. Electrocardiogram changes indicative of ischemia should prompt discontinuation of the case. Finally, carboxyhemoglobin poisoning should be included in the differential diagnosis of patients who demonstrate longer-than-expected anesthesia recovery times after bipolar resection of large submucous leiomyomas, and they should be managed with repeat evaluation of carboxyhemoglobin levels, supplemental oxygen, and cardiac monitoring.

Using Capsule Endoscopy at an Academic Teaching Hospital in West Virginia: A Descriptive Analysis of our 7 year Experience and Determination of Diagnostic Yield for Obscure Gastrointestinal Bleeding.

Background: The aim of our study was to describe, analyze, and evaluate results of wireless capsule endoscopy (CE) as an imaging modality for various indications. Methods: We conducted a retrospective chart review study of all CE studies performed between January 1, 2007 and June 30, 2014 at Marshall University. The study included 272 patients between the ages of 21-85 years old. Results: The most common finding in our study was a normal study (57.7%) followed by small bowel erosions (14.3%), neoplasms (11.4%), Arteriovenous malformations (10.7%), inflammatory bowel disease (2.6%), and nonspecific findings (3.3%). Discussion: 90/209 patients who had indications for IDA, melena, or heme-positive stools demonstrated positive findings by CE; our diagnostic yield for obscure GI bleeding was therefore 43.1%.

Standardized protocols for photocarcinogenesis safety testing.

Solar ultraviolet radiation (UVR) is recognized as a major cause of non-melanoma skin cancer in man. Skin cancer occurs most frequently in the most heavily exposed areas and correlates with degree of outdoor exposure. The incidence of skin cancer is also increased by contact with photosensitizing drugs and chemicals such as psoralens, coal tars and petroleum stocks. Other substances which do not act as photosensitizers, such as immunosuppressants taken by organ transplant recipients, also increase the risk of skin cancer. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration requests, on a case-by-case basis, that risk of enhanced photocarcinogenesis is assessed for many classes of drugs. Health Canada's Therapeutic Products Programme has issued a Notice of Intent to regulate pharmaceutical products which may enhance carcinogenicity of the skin induced by ultraviolet radiation. Other national regulatory agencies review such data when they exist, but their own requirements emphasize batteries of short-term in vitro and in vivo tests. While they may support drug development strategies, short-term tests have yet to be validated as predictors of the ability of drugs or chemicals to enhance photocarcinogenesis. Published protocols now describe study designs and procedures capable of determining whether test agents enhance the rate of formation of UVR-induced skin tumors.