Maternal floor infarction of the placenta: prenatal diagnosis and clinical significance.

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether maternal floor infarction can be diagnosed prenatally. METHODS: We reviewed the charts of 13 patients with maternal floor infarction confirmed histopathologically to determine the frequency of increased placental echogenicity, fetal growth restriction (FGR), and oligohydramnios. Subsequently, we applied these criteria prospectively to diagnose maternal floor infarction in three cases. RESULTS: Twelve of the 13 pregnancies reviewed retrospectively resulted in small for gestational age infants, of which eight were stillbirths. Fetal growth restriction and oligohydramnios were evident on ultrasound in five pregnancies and a placental abnormality was noted in four; two patients exhibited this complete triad of sonographic abnormalities. Three patients were identified prospectively with maternal floor infarction based on sonographic findings and electively delivered live preterm infants. CONCLUSIONS: Maternal floor infarction is a placental condition with profound risk for FGR and stillbirth. Antenatal diagnosis may improve the perinatal outcome with this condition.

An intravaginal controlled-release prostaglandin E2 pessary for cervical ripening and initiation of labor at term.

The purpose of this randomized, double-blind study was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of a new controlled-release hydrogel pessary for ripening the cervix and initiating labor. Subjects had an entry Bishop score of 4 or less and gestational age of 37 or more weeks. One hundred fourteen women received a placebo pessary and 101 received the hydrogel pessary, containing 10 mg of prostaglandin (PG) E2. Compared with the placebo group, those given the PGE2 pessary were more likely to have an increase in Bishop score of 3 or more (60 or 59% versus 21 or 18%; P less than .0001), change to a Bishop score of 6 or higher (59 or 58% versus 18 or 16%; P less than .0001), and active labor (68 or 67% versus 15 or 13%; P less than .0001). Including the crossover study, uterine hyperstimulation (28 of 182, 15%) and fetal heart rate abnormalities (18 of 182, 10%) in PGE2-treated subjects were reversed on removal of the pessary with no apparent harm to the mother or fetus. These temporary adverse effects appeared while the pessary was in place and after the onset of active labor. Oxytocin was unnecessary in 89 of 182 (49%) of the PGE2-treated cases and was used more often to augment than to induce labor. We conclude that the described controlled-release PGE2 vaginal pessary induces appreciable cervical ripening and frequently initiates active labor with little or no need for oxytocin. The pessary may cause uterine hyperstimulation or fetal heart rate abnormalities, but these would be expected to reverse on removal of the pessary.

Vasodilator effects of parathyroid hormone, parathyroid hormone-related protein, and calcitonin gene-related peptide in the human fetal-placental circulation.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of our study was to determine the vasoactivity of calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP), parathyroid hormone (PTH), and parathyroid hormone-related protein (PTHrP) in the human fetal-placental circulation in vitro. METHODS: Dually perfused placental cotyledons from term pregnancies were used in this study. RESULTS: Calcitonin gene-related peptide, PTHrP (both 10(-10)-10(-6) mol/L), and PTH (10(-8)-10(-6) mol/L) demonstrated a significant concentration-dependent vasodilator effect (P = .0007, P = .0172, P = .0063, respectively), following preconstriction with a thromboxane mimetic U46619. The CGRP-1 receptor inhibitor CGRP8-37 (10(-6) mol/L) significantly inhibited (P = .0131) the CGRP-induced vasodilator effect, while the nitric oxide synthesis inhibitor n-nitro-l-arginine showed no inhibitory effect. CONCLUSIONS: These results demonstrate the vasodilator effects of CGRP, PTH, and PTHrP in the human fetal-placental circulation. Calcitonin gene-related peptide and PTHrP were of equal potency, and both were approximately 100 times more potent than PTH. This study also suggests the CGRP may exert its vasodilator effect through two classes of receptors in the human placenta and may do so independently of nitric oxide.

Pain during sexual response due to bilateral Bartholin's gland adenomas. A case report.

Benign adenomas of the major vestibular gland are very rare. Presented is a case of bilateral vestibular gland adenomas in a woman whose chief complaint was vulvar pain occurring with sexual arousal and orgasm. Surgical removal of the adenomas relieved the symptoms. The development of pain during sexual response in this case appears to be mediated by vascular engorgement.

Perinatal outcomes of twin pregnancies at term.

A review of a two-year experience in our community disclosed that 57% of twin pregnancies (118/207) deliver at term. Little attention has been focused on perinatal outcomes of twin pregnancies remaining undelivered after 36 completed weeks. Therefore, we reviewed our experience to determine whether our practice should change to maximize perinatal care. Nearly all the study pregnancies (115/117, or 97.5%) delivered by the estimated date of confinement. Fetal malpresentation, failure to progress and the patient's lack of desire for a vaginal birth after cesarean delivery were common reasons for the high cesarean rate (62/117, or 52%). The neonatal outcomes were favorable regardless of the route or interval between deliveries. Discordant fetal growth was found in only eight cases (6.8%). No perinatal deaths occurred, and five-minute Apgar scores less than 7 (2/234, or 0.9%) and rates of anomalies (5/234, or 2.1%) were not different from those in singleton pregnancies delivering during the same period. Using the principles of obstetric practice used in our community, we would expect the perinatal outcomes in term twin gestations to be favorable.

Spring clip sterilization: long-term follow-up.

Between 1978 and 1984, 186 women had interval laparoscopic and postpartum Hulka clip sterilization at the University of Missouri Health Sciences Center. We reached 109 (58%) of these women for follow-up. All had had their sterilization procedures at least one year earlier, and the average duration of follow-up was 3 1/2 years. The procedure failed in four patients, for a failure rate of 3.7%; three of these failures occurred more than 12 months after sterilization. These data suggest that long-term (more than 12 months) follow-up studies may be necessary to document more accurately the failure rate of Hulka clip sterilization.