Uterine artery embolization vs myomectomy for the management of women with uterine leiomyomas: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to investigate whether uterine artery embolization offers a better quality of life than myomectomy in premenopausal women diagnosed with leiomyomas of the uterus. DATA SOURCES: A literature search was performed using the electronic databases of PubMed and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials from inception to January 2023. STUDY ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA: Randomized controlled trials comparing uterine artery embolization with myomectomy in women of premenopausal age suffering from uterine leiomyomas were considered. METHODS: The primary outcome was quality of life. The secondary outcomes were reintervention rate and timing, successful pregnancy, stillbirth and miscarriage, cesarean delivery on delivery, and perioperative morbidity. Moreover, time-to-event and standard pairwise meta-analyses were performed, as appropriate. The certainty of the evidence was assessed in line with the Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development, and Evaluations methodology. RESULTS: A total of 6 randomized controlled trials met our inclusion criteria. The meta-analysis suggested little to no difference in terms of quality of life between uterine artery embolization and myomectomy (standard mean difference, 0.05; 95% confidence interval, -0.38 to 0.48; I2=92%; very low certainty of evidence). Sensitivity analysis, including randomized controlled trials, which included solely myomectomy procedures in the control arm, demonstrated better quality of life for women treated with myomectomy (standard mean difference, -0.32; 95% confidence interval, -0.49 to -0.15; I2=15%). Concerning reintervention, myomectomy was likely associated with a decreased risk of future reintervention (risk ratio, 0.32; 95% confidence interval, 0.15-0.69; I2=60%; low certainty of evidence) and a more prolonged time interval since a potential reintervention because of recurrence than uterine artery embolization (hazard ratio, 0.41; 95% confidence interval, 0.22-0.77; I2=77%; low certainty of evidence). No difference was found between the 2 interventions concerning severe perioperative adverse events (relative risk, 4.13; 95% confidence interval, 0.44-39.20; I2=0%; low certainty of evidence). CONCLUSION: Uterine artery embolization is likely associated with increased reintervention rates and less time to reintervention compared with myomectomy in premenopausal women diagnosed with uterine leiomyomas. Evidence suggests no difference between the 2 interventions regarding perioperative morbidity. Uterine artery embolization may exert no effect on quality of life and successful pregnancy; however, the evidence is very uncertain.

Perianal Angioleiomyoma: A Case Report and Review of the Literature.

Angioleiomyomas are rare benign tumors, which take origin from smooth muscle fibers of the tunica media of veins. Even though angioleiomyomas can appear anywhere in the body, these masses are rarely occurred in the gastrointestinal system. This is the first reported case of perianal angioleiomyomas, where the tumor in close relation with the anal canal was investigated with endoanal ultrasonography. Local excision of such lesion is generally curative.

Effect of Caffeine Intake on Postoperative Ileus: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

BACKGROUND: Postoperative ileus prolongs both hospital stay and patients' morbidity, having at the same time a great impact on health care costs. Coffee, a worldwide popular, cheap beverage might have an important effect on the motility of the postoperative bowel. METHODS: PubMed, Scopus, and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials were systematically searched. RESULTS: Four studies met the inclusion criteria of our meta-analysis. A total of 341 patients were included. The postoperative administration of coffee significantly reduces the time to first bowel movement, the time to first flatus and the time to tolerance of solid diet. Safe conclusions could not be drawn regarding the additional use of laxatives, the necessity for reinsertion of nasogastric tube or the need for reoperation as all the aforementioned outcomes did not present any statistically significance. None of the complications were attributed to the administration of coffee. CONCLUSION: The administration of coffee as a postoperative ileus prevention measure can change the way postoperative enhanced recovery is applied. Even though the mechanism of action of coffee is not fully known, currently available literature demonstrates a significant improvement in gastrointestinal motility without having any impact on postoperative morbidity. Studies with higher methodological quality can offer a more careful evaluation of the clinical use of this popular beverage.

Dermatomyositis and/or polymyositis as a paraneoplastic manifestation of ovarian cancer: a systematic review.

Dermatomyositis (DM) is defined as an autoimmune inflammatory disease that affects the skin, the blood vessels and the muscles. It typically presents with erythema affecting mostly the eyes and the hands as well as proximal muscle weakness. It has been also correlated with various types of cancer, including ovarian cancer. A systematic PubMed and Scopus search was conducted. A total of 110 women were included in our review. The median age of the patients was 52.5 years (8-85). The most frequent histological type of malignancy was epithelial (87 cases, 79.1%) and in only one patient (0.9%) DM was co-existing with a cancer recurrence. A clinical diagnosis of DM or PM preceded the diagnosis of ovarian cancer in 69.1% (76/110), while paraneoplastic DM after the diagnosis of ovarian cancer was reported in 31% (34/110). Serum antibodies were present in 22.5% (25/110) and the median creatine kinase during first evaluation was 886 (56.6-16,596). Postoperative improvement of the symptoms was observed in 24.6% (27/110) while also 24.6% (27/110) needed post-treatment rheumatological management. Neoadjuvant chemotherapy or radiotherapy was necessary in 58.2% (64/110) and a cancer recurrence was identified in 28.2% (31/110), with a median follow up of 24.5 months (5-210). Finally, 52 (47.3%) deaths were reported in a median follow-up period of 16 months (0-210). It is crucial that DM patients should receive a thorough evaluation for ovarian cancer, among other malignancies, encompassing an abdominal CT or MRI scan and serum Ca-125 marker measurements. Treatment of ovarian cancer is usually accompanied by remission of DM symptoms in most of the cases.

Cutaneous Mucormycosis by Saksenaea vasiformis: An Unusual Case Report and Review of Literature.

BACKGROUND: Saksenaea vasiformis is one of the numerous fungi of the Order Mucorales. Rapid progression and invasion of neighboring tissues are the most characteristic features of S. vasiformis mucormycosis. AIM: The objective of this review is the management of this type of infections. METHODS: Case report and literature review. RESULTS: A 62-year old woman, without a history of immunocompromisation, developed a localized cutaneous infection at her right thigh. No trauma, skin laceration or insect bite was reported at the side of infection. The initial treatment was surgical debridements and intravenous administration of amphotericin B/posaconazole. In order to avoid the further rapid progression of the infection and save her life, it was decided to proceed to amputation of the patient's right leg. This is the first case of S. vasiformis cutaneous infection in an immunocompetent patient, in Greece. CONCLUSION: Early diagnosis of S. vasiformis mucormycosis is of paramount importance. Clinical suspicion, based on the rapid progression of the infection and on the medical history of the patient, is sufficient to start antifungal treatment. Broad, aggressive, and repeated surgical debridement of the infection site together with systemic antifungal agents administration is the key point for successful treatment.

Anal Pain of an Unusual Cause: Role of Endoanal Ultrasound.

Anal pain is among the most frequent complaints referred in coloproctology clinic. Nevertheless, this symptom may have a great variety of etiopathogenetic causes. This is the first report that highlights the presence of a rare cause of anal pain, originated by ingested seeds. A 65-year-old male had a 4-day history of fever, anal pain, and discharge. A three-dimensional endoanal ultrasound revealed two perianal abscess cavities with central hyperechogenic areas, in the absence of acoustic shadow. The patient underwent examination under epidural anesthesia, where the two cavities were drained endoanally. Two cereal grains (linseed/sunflower seed) were found during the drainage of the abscess. The utilization of endoanal ultrasound in the investigation of perianal pain is a valuable option. In addition, apart from the size and the exact dimensions of abscesses, endoanal ultrasound also permits the clarification even the most remote etiopathogenetic causes of anal pain.

Women Physicians in Byzantium.

Women were allowed to practice the medical profession during the Byzantine Empire. The presence of female physicians was not an innovation of the Byzantine era but actually originated from ancient Greece and Rome. The studies and the training of women doctors were apparently equivalent to those of their male colleagues. The principal medical specialties of the female doctors were gynecology and midwifery. Byzantine legislation treated relatively equally both female and male doctors. For this reason, it can be assumed that the presence of female doctors was correlated with the position of women in Byzantine society. However, there is not sufficient information in the literature to clarify whether female and male doctors used to earn equal payment for the same service.

Robotics in general surgery: A systematic cost assessment.

The utilisation of robotic-assisted techniques is a novelty in the field of general surgery. Our intention was to examine the up to date available literature on the cost assessment of robotic surgery of diverse operations in general surgery. PubMed and Scopus databases were searched in a systematic way to retrieve the included studies in our review. Thirty-one studies were retrieved, referring on a vast range of surgical operations. The mean cost for robotic, open and laparoscopic ranged from 2539 to 57,002, 7888 to 16,851 and 1799 to 50,408 Euros, respectively. The mean operative charges ranged from 273.74 to 13,670 Euros. More specifically, for the robotic and laparoscopic gastric fundoplication, the cost ranged from 1534 to 2257 and 657 to 763 Euros, respectively. For the robotic and laparoscopic colectomy, it ranged from 3739 to 17,080 and 3109 to 33,865 Euros, respectively. For the robotic and laparoscopic cholecystectomy, ranged from 1163.75 to 1291 and from 273.74 to 1223 Euros, respectively. The mean non-operative costs ranged from 900 to 48,796 from 8347 to 8800 and from 870 to 42,055 Euros, for robotic, open and laparoscopic technique, respectively. Conversions to laparotomy were present in 34/18,620 (0.18%) cases of laparoscopic and in 22/1488 (1.5%) cases of robotic technique. Duration of surgery robotic, open and laparoscopic ranged from 54.6 to 328.7, 129 to 234, and from 50.2 to 260 min, respectively. The present evidence reveals that robotic surgery, under specific conditions, has the potential to become cost-effective. Large number of cases, presence of industry competition and multidisciplinary team utilisation are some of the factors that could make more reasonable and cost-effective the robotic-assisted technique.