Comparison of single and multiple dose methotrexate therapy for unruptured tubal ectopic pregnancy: a prospective randomized study.

OBJECTIVE: To compare the success rates of single and multiple dose methotrexate protocols for the treatment of unruptured tubal ectopic pregnancy. DESIGN: Prospective randomized controlled trial. SETTING: Maternity and teaching hospital in Turkey. POPULATION: One hundred twenty women treated with methotrexate therapy for unruptured tubal ectopic pregnancy. METHODS: Sixty-two women received a single dose and 58 received a multiple dose methotrexate regimen. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Success rate of methotrexate therapy (women successfully treated with one injection and women who completed four doses). RESULTS: In the single dose group, treatment was considered successful in 50 women (80.6%), whereas in the multiple dose group, 52 women (89.7%) responded to treatment (p = 0.21; OR 0.90, 95%CI 0.77-1.05). The average number of days required for human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) levels to fall below 5 mU/mL was longer in the single dose (22.3 +/- 7.6) compared with the multiple dose group (18.3 +/- 10.7) (p = 0.03). In the single dose group fewer or 17 women (24.7%) experienced side-effects compared to 28 (48.3%) of those who had multiple doses (p = 0.02, OR 0.57, 95%CI 0.35-0.92). CONCLUSION: A multiple dose methotrexate regimen for the treatment of unruptured tubal ectopic pregnancy is not more effective than a single dose one. In addition, multiple doses may cause more side-effects, but the time for hCG levels to fall below 5 mU/mL is shorter.

Is there any relation between development of persistent non-reassuring fetal heart rate pattern and acutely increased uterine artery vascular flow resistance during dinoprostone use in prolonged pregnancies?

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the relation between changes in Doppler parameters of fetal and uterine arteries and development of persistent non-reassuring fetal heart rate (FHR) pattern during induction of labor with dinoprostone (Propess) in pregnancies at >or=41 weeks gestation. DESIGN: Prospective cohort study. SETTING: Etlik Zubeyde Hanim Women's Hospital, Turkey. SAMPLE: One hundred forty-one prolonged pregnancies. METHODS: Doppler parameters of umbilical, middle cerebral, and uterine arteries were measured before and 4-6 hours after dinoprostone application between uterine contractions. Non-reassuring FHR pattern and persistent non-reassuring FHR pattern criteria were defined based on NICE 2007 guidelines. Women with successful spontaneous vaginal delivery were recruited as a control group (n=108), while women who underwent cesarean delivery due to persistent non-reassuring FHR pattern were recruited as a study group (n=15). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Prediction of non-reassuring FHR pattern with Doppler analysis of uterine and fetal arteries. RESULTS: After dinoprostone application there was significant enhancement in uterine artery resistance index (RI) in the study group compared to the control group (p=0.002). Receiver operating characteristics curve analysis identified a uterine artery RI increase value of 0.11 as the optimal threshold for prediction of persistent non-reassuring FHR pattern with 73.3% sensitivity and 69.4% specificity. Logistic regression analysis demonstrated that an increase in the uterine artery RI was predictive for persistent non-reassuring FHR pattern (odds ratio (OR) 4.97; 95% CI 1.5-16.8). CONCLUSION: Acute increase in uterine artery RI due to dinoprostone use may end with persistent non-reassuring FHR pattern in prolonged pregnancies. This may allow earlier prediction of persistent non-reassuring FHR pattern development and risk assessment.

A retrospective analysis of the diameter of metastatic lymph nodes in apparently early stage endometrial cancer.

AIMS AND BACKGROUND: The objective of this retrospective study was to assess the diameter of metastatic lymph nodes in a population of women with apparently early stage endometrial cancer at laparotomy. METHODS AND STUDY DESIGN: Among 700 cases with endometrial cancer, 27 cases with disease clinically limited to the uterus in the laparotomy and found to have retroperitoneal node metastasis after pathologic examination were included in this study. Pathologic characteristics of the tumors, pelvic and para-aortic node counts and the largest diameter of each metastatic node were evaluated. RESULTS: The median number of nodes removed was 38; median number of pelvic and para-aortic nodes was 29 and 8, respectively. A total of 85 metastatic nodes were identified. Mean diameter of the metastatic para-aortic and pelvic nodes was 6.8 mm and 9 mm, respectively. Nine patients had single metastatic nodes, and the diameters of the single metastatic para-aortic lymph node was 1 mm in one case, 2 mm in one case, 3 mm in one case and 4 mm in one, and 5 mm in two patients. Two cases had isolated para-aortic lymph node metastasis without pelvic lymph node metastasis. Diameters of the metastatic para-aortic lymph nodes were 4 and 5 mm in one case and 4 mm in the other case. CONCLUSIONS: The diameters of metastatic nodes may be as small as 1 mm. By sampling or selective para-aortic and/or pelvic lymphadenectomy, some of the nodes might go undiagnosed, and such understaged cases cannot take adjuvant therapy (chemotherapy-radiotherapy). For correct staging of cases with endometrial cancer, complete systematic para-aortic and/or pelvic lymphadenectomy might be appropriate.

Intraoperative complications of outpatient interval tubal sterilization at a teaching hospital in Turkey.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the intra-operative complications of outpatient interval tubal sterilization at a teaching hospital. METHODS: The data of 461 patients who underwent interval tubal ligation (ITL) at the Family Planning Clinic of Ankara Etlik Maternity and Women's Health Teaching and Research Hospital, Ankara, Turkey between January 2002 and December 2005 were reviewed from a computerized database. The demographic characteristics, operative technique, and intra- and early postoperative complications of patients were evaluated. Only 11 patients had minilaparotomy for ITL. Laparoscopic ITL was performed using bipolar cautery. The cases who were hospitalized or who had a complication and/or an unplanned laparotomy were analyzed. RESULTS: The mean age of patients was 35.1 (range: 21-51), gravidity was 4.6 (range: 2-9), parity was 3.2 (range: 2-7), and number of living children was 3.1 (range: 2-6). Out of 461 patients, only 2 (0.4%) had complications related with general anesthesia. Two cases (0.4%) had bleeding from the port-site, 3 cases (0.6%) had meso-salpingeal and meso-ovarian bleeding, one had omental bleeding (0.2%) and one case had bleeding (0.2%) from the vaginal wall. There was only one (0.2%) intestinal burn that required a laparotomy and segmental resection followed by end-to-end anastomosis. The mortality was nil, whilst the morbidity was found to be 2.1%, and all the complications were encountered in patients who had laparoscopic surgery. CONCLUSION: Outpatient tubal ligation is a convenient and safe procedure, and implementing endoscopic surgical techniques is necessary for correction of the complications.

Comparison of the effect of single-dose and multiple-dose methotrexate therapy on tubal patency.

OBJECTIVE: To compare tubal patency by using hysterosalpingography (HSG) in women with unruptured ectopic tubal pregnancy who were treated with either single-dose or multiple-dose methotrexate (MTX) regimen. DESIGN: A case series with a retrospective statistical analysis. SETTING: Maternity and teaching hospital in Turkey. PATIENT(S): Sixty-one patients treated with MTX therapy for unruptured tubal ectopic pregnancy. INTERVENTION(S): Thirty-one patients received single-dose and 30 multiple-dose MTX treatment. The HSG was performed 4 to 6 months after treatment to assess tubal patency. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): Ipsilateral and contralateral tubal obstruction rates. RESULT(S): Free passage through the ipsilateral tube was observed in 17 of 30 cases (56.7%) after multiple-dose, and 26 of 31 cases (83.9%) after single-dose MTX therapy. Patency of the contralateral tube was higher after single-dose than multiple-dose MTX treatment, although the value was not statistically significant. Binary logistic regression analysis was used to evaluate the parameters of age, gravida, parity, initial titers of beta human chorionic gonadotropin, size of the adnexal mass, and MTX regimen and their correlation with the HSG results after the clinical treatment for unruptured ectopic pregnancy. Only the type of MTX regimen was found to be used as a predictor of ipsilateral tubal obstruction. CONCLUSION(S): In terms of ipsilateral tubal obstruction, multiple-dose MTX therapy appears to have a greater negative effect on tubal patency than single-dose therapy.