Lidocaine spray vs mepivacaine local infiltration for suturing 1st/2nd grade perineal lacerations: a randomised controlled non-inferiority trial.

BACKGROUND: Perineal lacerations are a very common complication of post-partum. Usually, the repair of 1st and 2nd-grade lacerations is performed after the administration of local anesthesia. Despite the great relevance of the problem, there are only a few studies about the best choice of local anesthetic to use during suturing. We performed a randomised controlled trial to evaluate the efficacy and safety of the use of a local anesthetic spray during the suturing of perineal lacerations in the post-partum. METHODS: We compared the spray with the standard technique, which involves the infiltration of lacerated tissues, using the NRS scale. 136 eligible women who had given birth at University Hospital of Udine were enrolled and randomly assigned to receive nebulization of Lidocaine hydrochloride 10% spray (experimental group) or subcutaneous/submucosal infiltration of mepivacaine hydrochloride (control group) during suturing of perineal laceration. RESULTS: The lacerations included 84 1st-grade perineal traumas (61.7%) and 52 2nd-grade perineal traumas (38.2%). All the procedures were successfully completed without severe complications or serious adverse reactions. There were no statistically significant differences between the two groups in terms of blood losses or total procedure time. Moreover, there were no statistically significant differences in terms of NRS to none of the intervals considered. Regarding the application of the spray in the B group, in 36 cases (52.9%) it was necessary to improve the number of puffs previously supposed to be sufficient (5 puffs). Just in 3 cases, an additional injection was necessary (4.4%). CONCLUSIONS: Our study demonstrates that lidocaine spray alone can be used as a first line of local anesthetic during the closure of I-II-grade perineal lacerations, as it has comparable efficacy to mepivacaine infiltration. TRIAL REGISTRATION: The trial was recorded on https://clinicaltrials.gov . Identification number: NCT05201313. First registration date: 21/01/2022. Unique Protocol ID: 0042698/P/GEN/ARCS.

Modification of endometrioma size during hormone therapy containing dienogest.

The aim of the present study was to evaluate whether hormone therapy containing dienogest is effective in reducing endometrioma size. A retrospective observational study was conducted on 116 women with endometrioma which was evaluated after 6 and 12 months of either no treatment (n = 46), or hormonal therapy containing dienogest (n = 70), without (DNG; n = 34) or with ethinylestradiol (DNG/EE; n = 36). Median (interquartile range) cyst diameter (23.0 mm (21.0 mm)) and volume (9941.2 mm3 (14240.1 mm3)) of untreated were similar to cyst diameter (25.0 mm (14.5 mm) and volume (7587.7 mm3 (13806.2 mm3)) of treated women. After 12 months, endometrioma volume did not vary in untreated women (-34.0 mm3 (55595.0 mm3); -0.77% (93.9%)) while it significantly decreased (-5400 mm3 (15378.7 mm3); -100.0% (27.7%); p<.0001) during hormone therapy. Volume decrease was linearly related to endometrioma volume ([Formula: see text] R2 = 0.899, p<.0001). The effect tended to be greater during DNG alone than DNG/EE (-100.0% (0.0%) vs. -87.9% (47.7%); p<.0004). Cyst disappearance was observed in 4.4% of untreated cases and in 57.1% of cases on hormone therapy (p<.0001) (38.9% with DNG/EE and 76.5% with DNG; p<.03). The early diagnosis and treatment of endometrioma with dienogest-based hormone therapy may be effective in controlling cyst growth and in reducing the need for surgery.

Vaccination: Adherence and Hesitancy among Pregnant Women for COVID-19, Pertussis, and Influenza Vaccines.

In the realm of antenatal care, vaccinations serve as a cornerstone, crucial for safeguarding the health of both the mother and the fetus, while also extending protection to the newborn against communicable diseases. Nevertheless, vaccine adherence among pregnant women remains very low. The aim of our study was to evaluate the uptake of vaccines (influence, pertussis, and COVID-19) among women during pregnancy and to understand pregnant women's knowledge of vaccines and the diseases they protect against. The purpose was to investigate the reasons why pregnant women chose not to be vaccinated and to develop effective strategies for informing them about the importance of vaccination for both maternal and fetal safety. A prospective observational study was conducted in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, "Ospedale Santa Maria della Misericordia" in Udine, from 1 December 2021 to 30 June 2022. During this period, a self-completed paper questionnaire was administered to women at the end of pregnancy or during the puerperium. A total of 161 questionnaires were collected. Higher educational level was found to be significantly associated with influenza vaccination uptake (p = 0.037, OR = 2.18, 95% CI 1.05-4.51). Similarly, for pertussis vaccination, adherence was mainly associated with higher educational level (p = 0.014, OR = 2.83, 95% CI 1.24-6.47), but also with Italian nationality (p = 0.003, OR = 3.36, 95% CI 1.56-8.43) and pregnancy attended by a midwife or private gynecologist (p = 0.028, OR = 0.39, 95% CI 0.17-0.90). Regarding the COVID-19 vaccine, the only factor positively influencing uptake was Italian nationality (p = 0.044, OR = 2.66, 95% CI 1.03-6.91). Women's fear that vaccines would endanger the fetus appeared to be the most important reason for refusing vaccinations. Simultaneously, patients also exhibited a desire to receive more information about maternal vaccination, particularly from their general physician or gynecologist. For this reason, it is imperative to enhance maternal vaccination counselling, making it a routine step in prenatal care from the first antenatal visit until the postpartum period.

Histological evaluation of the prevalence of adenomyosis, myomas and of their concomitance.

BACKGROUND: The objective of this study is to evaluate the prevalence of adenomyosis, leiomyomas and of their concomitance in women who underwent hysterectomy. METHODS: An observational study carried out on a cohort of 347 women who underwent hysterectomy from a sample of 2383 patients who had gynecological surgery for benign disease in a single University Hospital between 2013 and 2016. A histological evaluation of all surgical specimens was carried out for the presence of adenomyosis and leiomyomas. Prevalence of adenomyosis alone, of leiomyomas alone or of their concomitance was evaluated. RESULTS: In 140 women, indication to hysterectomy was an abnormal uterine bleeding, or pelvic pain (symptomatic), while in the remaining 207 hysterectomy was performed in postmenopausal women for uterine descent or concomitantly to ovariectomy. Mean age of women in the two groups at hysterectomy was 47.7±5.3 years and 68.9±7.9 years, respectively. Prevalence of adenomyosis (40% vs. 27%; P<0.0001) and of leiomyomas (70.7% vs. 50.7%; P<0.0001) was more frequent in symptomatic than post-menopausal women. Concomitant presence of adenomyosis and leiomyomas was also more prevalent in symptomatic than post-menopausal women (30% vs. 14%; P<0.0001). About 75% of the uteri of symptomatic women with adenomyosis had also leiomyomas and 42.4% of those with leiomyomas has also adenomyosis. CONCLUSIONS: In symptomatic women, adenomyosis and leiomyomas are frequent and coexist in 30% of cases. Coexistence of the two pathologies should be considered in women suffering of heavy menstrual bleeding and menstrual pain.