Preoperative Assessment of Cervical Involvement in Endometrial Cancer by Transvaginal Ultrasound and Magnetic Resonance Imaging: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

OBJECTIVE: To compare the diagnostic accuracy of transvaginal ultrasound (TVS) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for detecting cervical infiltration by endometrial carcinoma using meta-analysis assessment. METHODS: An extensive search of papers comparing TVS and MRI for assessing cervical infiltration in endometrial cancer in the same set of patients was performed in Medline (Pubmed), Web of Science, and the Cochrane Database. Quality was assessed using QUADAS-2 tool (Quality Assessment of Diagnostic Accuracy Studies-2). Quantitative meta-analysis was performed. RESULTS: Our extended search identified 12 articles that used both techniques in the same set of patients and were included in the meta-analysis. The risk of bias for most studies was high for patient selection and index tests in QUADAS-2. Overall, the pooled estimated sensitivity and specificity for diagnosing cervical infiltration in women with endometrial cancer were identical for both techniques [69 % (95 % CI, 51 %-82 %) and 93 % (95 % CI, 90 %-95 %) for TVS, and 69 % (95 % CI, 57 %-79 %) and 91 % (95 % CI, 90 %-95 %) for MRI, respectively]. No statistical differences were found when comparing both methods. Heterogeneity was high for sensitivity and moderate for specificity when analyzing TVS and moderate for both sensitivity and specificity in the case of MRI. CONCLUSION: TVS and MRI showed very similar diagnostic performance for diagnosing cervical involvement in women with endometrial cancer.

"An unnecessary cut?" multilevel health systems analysis of drivers of caesarean sections rates in Italy: a systematic review.

BACKGROUND: Improvements in medical technologies have seen over-medicalization of childbirth. Caesarean section (CS) is a lifesaving procedure proven effective in reducing maternal and perinatal mortality across the globe. However, as with any medical procedure, the CS intrinsically carries some risk to its beneficiaries. In recent years, CS rates have risen alarmingly in high-income countries. Many exceeding the World Health Organisation (WHO) recommendation of a 10 to 15% annual CS rate. While this situation poses an increased risk to women and their children, it also represents an excess human and financial burden on health systems. Therefore, from a health system perspective this study systematically summarizes existing evidence relevant to the factors driving the phenomenon of increasing CS rates using Italy as a case study. METHODS: Employing the WHO Health System Framework (WHOHSF), this systematic review used the PRISMA guidelines to report findings. PubMed, SCOPUS, MEDLINE, Cochrane Library and Google Scholar databases were searched up until April 1, 2020. Findings were organised through the six dimensions of the WHOHSF framework: service delivery, health workforce, health system information; medical products vaccine and technologies, financing; and leadership and governance. RESULTS: CS rates in Italy are affected by complex interactions among several stakeholder groups and contextual factors such as the hyper-medicalisation of delivery, differences in policy and practice across units and the national context, issues pertaining to the legal and social environment, and women's attitudes towards pregnancy and childbirth. CONCLUSION: Mitigating the high rates of CS will require a synergistic multi-stakeholder intervention. Specifically, with processes able to attract the official endorsement of policy makers, encourage concensus between regional authorities and local governments and guide the systematic compliance of delivery units with its clinical guidelines.