Congenital absence of the uterus. Clinicopathologic and endocrine findings.

Laparoscopic ovarian biopsies performed on 11 patients with congenital absence of the uterus revealed the presence of follicles at different stages of development, with corpora lutea in 2 patients and cystic follicles in 1 patient who had cyclic patterns of serum gonadotropins and plasma progesterone.

Imperforate hymen: report of an unusual familial occurrence.

BACKGROUND: Although imperforate hymen occurs in approximately 0.1% of female newborns, familial occurrence of imperforate hymen has been reported only once. CASES: We report two families in which imperforate hymen was diagnosed in three siblings of each family. One family is described in detail; the patients were two postmenarchal young women and one premenarchal girl. CONCLUSION: Imperforate hymen usually occurs sporadically but can be familial. We advise screening all female newborns and children for vaginal patency, especially family members of an affected child. Identification of other families with a similar problem might point to a specific mode of inheritance.

High-velocity penetrating wounds of the gravid uterus: review of 16 years of civil war.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the value of selective laparotomy in pregnant women with penetrating abdominal injuries. METHODS: A retrospective survey was carried out at our center over 16 years of civil war, extending from 1975 to 1991. Fourteen pregnant women had uterine injuries secondary to high-velocity abdominal penetrating trauma. The corresponding management was evaluated carefully with respect to maternal and fetal outcomes. RESULTS: Two maternal deaths occurred, neither resulting solely from intra-abdominal injuries. Visceral injuries were present when the entrance of the missile was in either the upper abdomen or the back. When the entry site was anterior and below the uterine fundus, visceral injuries were absent in all six women upon surgical exploration. Perinatal deaths occurred in half of the cases and were due to maternal shock or uteroplacental or direct fetal injury. Immediate cesarean delivery was performed because of either limited surgical field exposure, fetal injury, or distress. Three patients explored were managed by delaying delivery. All later delivered vaginally with successful fetal outcomes in all three. CONCLUSION: Selective laparotomy may be considered in pregnant women with anterior penetrating abdominal trauma, as the likelihood of intra-abdominal injuries may be predicted based on the location of the penetrating wound.

Mesenteric hematoma--meckel's diverticulum: a rare laparoscopic complication.

As previously reported, most complications of laparoscopy occur during the induction of pneumoperitoneum. In addition to the known complications of emphysema, embolism, and pneumocolon, the insufflating needle may occasionally cause bleeding by entering inadvertently into a vessel which may in rare situations be a mesenteric artery. Luckily, this complication is rare enough not to necessitate typing, cross-matching, and preparation of blood for every laparoscopic procedure. Injury to the iliac mesentery, with mesenteric artery perforation and a resulting hematoma, occurred during laparoscopy for tubal sterilization. This report describes the operative finding of a Meckel's cord attaching the ileum to the umbilicus, leading to this unusual and serious complication necessitating an immediate laparotomy and ileal resection.

Ear length: a potential sonographic marker for Down syndrome.

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to determine if antenatal sonographic determination of fetal ear length is a useful screening method for identification of fetuses with Down syndrome. METHODS: Ear length measurements were recorded in 418 fetuses undergoing ultrasound scanning between 20 and 28 weeks of gestation. Four trisomy 21 and six trisomy 18 fetuses were identified by karyotyping. The relationship between ear length and gestational age in the normal population was determined by linear regression analysis: expected ear length = -6.000 + 1.075 gestational age. The ability of measured-to-expected ear length cut-off ratios to discriminate between affected and non-affected fetuses was assessed. RESULTS: The mean ear length and measured-to-expected ear length ratios were significantly lower in the affected group as compared to the normal one. A measured-to-expected ear length ratio of less than 0.8 was 75.0% sensitive and 98.8% specific in detecting Down syndrome fetuses, and resulted in an 8.5% positive predictive value in the general population. CONCLUSIONS: This preliminary study suggests that antenatal ear length measurements might be a promising sonographic screening method for the detection of Down syndrome in the second trimester of pregnancy.

Reproductive outcome following abdominal metroplasty.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate pregnancy outcome following uterine unification procedures in patients with uterine anomalies. METHODS: A retrospective survey included all abdominal metroplasty procedures performed on 43 patients at the American University of Beirut Medical Center between January 1, 1974 and December 31, 1991. Age at metroplasty, type of anomaly and surgical procedures, as well as preoperative and postoperative reproductive performance were all recorded. RESULTS: Forty (93%) out of 43 patients who underwent metroplasty had postoperative live births compared with five (12%) prior to surgery. The fetal wastage rate dropped from 93% pre- to 16% postoperatively. All seven patients with a history of primary infertility conceived and had live births. CONCLUSION: Our data suggest a remarkable improvement following abdominal metroplasty in patients with both typical and uncharacteristic preoperative reproductive performance.

Labial edema in pregnancy. A case report.

Edema is a frequently encountered medical sign in pregnancy. Edema confined strictly to the labia, however, is not as common. This report describes severe labial edema in a patient with a twin gestation while on intravenous magnesium sulfate tocolysis. The tocolysis could have initiated the process of labial swelling in the presence of other, predisposing factors.

Puerperal uterine inversion.

Puerperal uterine inversion, a life threatening condition, is a true obstetrical emergency. Quick reanimation measures coupled with manual or surgical correction are the key to success in managing this rare condition.

Postmortem cesarean section following maternal blast injury: case report.

We report a postmortem cesarean section resulting in fetal survival, performed 25 minutes after maternal blast injury. The time interval between cardiopulmonary arrest and delivery, prior maternal health status, and continued cardiopulmonary resuscitation represent important determinants of fetal survival. Improvement in maternal hemodynamic condition may potentially occur following the procedure. Postmortem cesarean section is advised in the event of fatal maternal trauma since it may result in fetal salvage.

Preoxygenation of pregnant and nonpregnant women in the head-up versus supine position.

The influence of preoxygenation in the supine (n = 10) versus the 45 degrees head-up (n = 10) position on the duration of apnea leading to a decrease in arterial oxygen saturation to 95%, as monitored by pulse oximetry, was investigated in 20 women undergoing elective cesarean section at term of pregnancy. The results were compared with those obtained in a control group of 20 nonpregnant women. In the supine position, the average time to desaturation to 95% was significantly shorter in the pregnant group (173 +/- 4.8 s [mean +/- SD]) than in the control group of nonpregnant women (243 +/- 7.4 s). Using the head-up position resulted in an increase in the desaturation time in the nonpregnant group (331 +/- 7.2 s) but had no significant effect in the pregnant group (156 +/- 2.8 s). We conclude that pregnant women desaturate their arterial blood of oxygen more rapidly than do nonpregnant women. Furthermore, the head-up position extends the duration of apnea that can take place before desaturation occurs in nonpregnant patients.