Cervical obstruction complicating second-trimester abortion: treatment with misoprostol.

BACKGROUND: Cervical cone biopsy or loop electrosurgical excision procedures (LEEP) may lead to cervical scarring, agglutination, or stenosis. Leiomyomas may also obstruct the lower uterine segment such that instruments cannot be passed from the vagina to the gestation. CASE: Two women requested second trimester abortion. Both women had undergone cervical LEEP. In addition, one woman had a 10-cm leiomyoma, which seemed to be obstructing the lower segment. In both, the external cervical os was essentially obliterated. After administration of misoprostol, the cervix softened markedly in 18-24 hours. In both women, the cervix dilated readily and allowed dilation and evacuation of the uterus. CONCLUSION: Misoprostol resulted in the ability to evacuate the uterus vaginally, in a situation that might have otherwise resulted in hysterotomy.

Barriers and outcomes associated with unfulfilled requests for permanent contraception following vaginal delivery.

OBJECTIVES: To identify barriers to postpartum permanent contraception procedures after vaginal delivery and to explore contraceptive and reproductive outcomes of women who experience unfulfilled requests. STUDY DESIGN: We performed a retrospective cohort study of women requesting postpartum permanent contraception after vaginal delivery from 7/1/11 to 6/30/14 at Strong Memorial Hospital in Rochester, NY. We ascertained patient characteristics and outcomes through electronic medical records and birth certificate data search. RESULTS: Of 189 women in our sample, 78 (41.3%) had a postpartum permanent contraception procedure. Factors associated with unfulfilled requests in adjusted analysis included BMI ≥40 (OR 3.71, 95% CI 1.46-9.48 compared to BMI <35), federal sterilization consent signed ≥36 weeks (OR 5.10, 95% CI 1.64-15.86 compared to <36 weeks) and delivery in the latter half of the week (Wednesday-Saturday) (OR 2.02, 95% CI 1.08-3.79). Documented reasons for unfulfilled permanent contraception requests included patient changing her mind related to procedural issues (21, 18.9%), invalid consent (20, 18.0%), maternal obesity (17, 15.3%), lack of operating room availability (14, 12.6%) and ambivalence about permanent contraception (5, 4.5%). Of 57 women who planned for interval permanent contraception and had institutional follow-up over the subsequent year, 14 (24.6%) had a procedure, 8 (14.0%) initiated long-acting reversible contraception, and 13 (22.8%) became pregnant. CONCLUSIONS: Fewer than half of women obtained desired postpartum permanent contraception after vaginal delivery, with logistical issues and obesity being the most common reported barriers. Health care providers should advocate for access to postpartum permanent contraception, as well as discuss prenatally the individualized probability of nonfulfillment and importance of alternative contraceptive plans. IMPLICATIONS: Logistical barriers and inappropriate antenatal preparation contribute to the fact that over half of women do not obtain desired postpartum permanent contraception after vaginal delivery. To respect reproductive autonomy and improve care, clinicians and other health officials should eliminate barriers to immediate postpartum permanent contraception while increasing access to alternative options.

Human glial chimeric mice reveal astrocytic dependence of JC virus infection.

Progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML) is a demyelinating disease triggered by infection with the human gliotropic JC virus (JCV). Due to the human-selective nature of the virus, there are no animal models available to investigate JCV pathogenesis. To address this issue, we developed mice with humanized white matter by engrafting human glial progenitor cells (GPCs) into neonatal immunodeficient and myelin-deficient mice. Intracerebral delivery of JCV resulted in infection and subsequent demyelination of these chimeric mice. Human GPCs and astrocytes were infected more readily than oligodendrocytes, and viral replication was noted primarily in human astrocytes and GPCs rather than oligodendrocytes, which instead expressed early viral T antigens and exhibited apoptotic death. Engraftment of human GPCs in normally myelinated and immunodeficient mice resulted in humanized white matter that was chimeric for human astrocytes and GPCs. JCV effectively propagated in these mice, which indicates that astroglial infection is sufficient for JCV spread. Sequencing revealed progressive mutation of the JCV capsid protein VP1 after infection, suggesting that PML may evolve with active infection. These results indicate that the principal CNS targets for JCV infection are astrocytes and GPCs and that infection is associated with progressive mutation, while demyelination is a secondary occurrence, following T antigen-triggered oligodendroglial apoptosis. More broadly, this study provides a model by which to further assess the biology and treatment of human-specific gliotropic viruses.

Complications of surgical termination of second-trimester pregnancy in obese versus nonobese women.

BACKGROUND: Obesity is becoming increasingly common in obstetric and gynecologic populations, which may affect the safety of surgical termination of pregnancy. STUDY DESIGN: We performed a retrospective review of all patients undergoing second-trimester surgical termination of pregnancy by under ultrasound guidance termination between 13 0/7 and 24 0/7 weeks of gestational age (GA) to compare perioperative risks in obese and nonobese women. Complication rates, operative times and anesthesia times were compared between obese [body mass index (BMI) ≥30 kg/m²] and nonobese women (BMI <30). RESULTS: Of 1044 women, 29.0% were obese. The mean complication rate was 6.1% and similar between groups (5.5% nonobese, 7.6% obese, p=.20). Operative times were 4.4 min longer and mean anesthesia times were 5 min longer in obese patients (p<.001 for each). There was a nonsignificant trend toward more complications with gestational ages above 18 weeks (5.5% vs. 7.7%, p=.20). A history of one or more cesarean sections had an independent association with major complications after adjustment for confounders (adjusted odds ratio 4.2, p=.001). CONCLUSIONS: Both anesthesia and operative times were modestly increased in obese women versus nonobese women undergoing second-trimester surgical termination, without significant differences in complication rates. For patients at advanced GA with prior cesarean delivery, clinicians should be aware of the potential increase in complications as well as increased operative time in obese women, and counsel appropriately.

Intrauterine device insertion after medical abortion.

BACKGROUND: Studies comparing immediate intrauterine device (IUD) insertion after first-trimester surgical abortion with interval insertion show similar efficacy and expulsion rates. However, women randomized to interval insertion of an IUD are less likely to return for device placement. An ideal time to insert intrauterine contraception may be the day a woman presents for verification of a completed medical abortion. We examined immediate insertion of IUDs after completed first-trimester medical abortion. STUDY DESIGN: This is a prospective, observational clinical study to determine expulsion rates of intrauterine contraception placed immediately after confirmed, completed first-trimester medical abortion. RESULTS: Of 118 subjects, 78 women had levonorgestrel IUDs placed, whereas 41 women received copper IUDs. Of 97 subjects who completed the study, there were 4 clinical expulsions (4.1%) during 3 months of follow-up. There were no diagnosed pelvic infections, pregnancies, or uterine perforations. The continuation rate at 3 months was 80%. CONCLUSION: Intrauterine devices inserted at the time of completed, confirmed first-trimester medical abortion have low rates of expulsion.

Relationship of intraamniotic digoxin to fetal demise.

BACKGROUND: Induced fetal demise by intraamniotic injection of digoxin is an alternative to methods using intracardiac or umbilical vein injection. This study was designed to evaluate the effectiveness of intraamniotic injection and the timing of fetal demise after injection. STUDY DESIGN: Twenty-two women had ultrasonic fetal cardiac assessments 1, 2, 4 and 20 to 24 h after intraamniotic injection of 1.5 mg digoxin. RESULTS: Fetal cardiac activity was absent in 21/21 women assessed at least 20 h after injection. One woman had agonal (40 bpm) fetal cardiac activity at 14 h. Most women had fetal cardiac activity 4 h after injection. Signs of toxicity were not seen. CONCLUSION: Intraamniotic injection of digoxin 1.5 mg is effective at causing fetal demise by 20 to 24 h. However, for most women, fetal demise is not obtained within 4 h.