Conception and pregnancy outcome after laparoscopic treatment of subtle distal fallopian tube abnormalities in infertile women: a prospective cohort study.

RESEARCH QUESTION: What are conception rates and pregnancy outcomes after laparoscopic treatment of subtle distal tubal abnormalities among infertile women, and which factors relate to natural conception? DESIGN: Prospective cohort study (n = 234) conducted in a single fertility referral centre between January 2017 and December 2018. Subtle abnormalities included fimbrial agglutination, tubal diverticula, accessory ostium, fimbrial phimosis and accessory fallopian tube. Pregnancy outcomes were followed-up annually until 36 months. RESULTS: One hundred and nine patients conceived naturally (natural conception rate 46.6%), and 59 patients conceived after IVF. Term live birth rate of the natural conception group was significantly higher than the IVF conception group (86.2% versus 71.2%, chi-squared = 5.625, P = 0.018). Preterm birth (11.9% versus 0%, P = 0.001) and multiple pregnancy rates (27.1% versus 0%, P < 0.001) of the IVF conception group were significantly higher than the natural conception group. Patient age (hazard ratio = 0.917, 95% CI 0.870 to 0.967, P = 0.001), duration of infertility (hazard ratio = 0.846, 95% CI 0.740 to 0.966, P = 0.014) and concurrent types of subtle abnormalities (hazard ratio = 0.636, 95% CI 0.416 to 0.970, P = 0.036) were factors associated with natural conception. CONCLUSIONS: Laparoscopy is an effective treatment for infertile patients with subtle abnormalities, especially for young patients with a short infertile period and at most two types of subtle abnormalities. For older women, a long infertile period and more than two types of subtle abnormalities, IVF may be more suitable after laparoscopic diagnosis.

Impact of hospital and surgeon case volume on morbidity in colorectal endometriosis management: a plea to define criteria for expert centers.

National and international guidelines recommend referring patients with severe forms of endometriosis to expert centers. However, there is a lack of clear criteria to define an expert center. We examined the roles of surgeon and hospital procedure volumes as determinants of morbidity in deep infiltrating endometriosis of the rectum and sigmoid colon (DIERS). METHODS: We conducted a French retrospective multicenter study of hospital facilities performing colorectal surgery for DIERS in 2015. The primary end point was to analyze the relation between case volume and the incidence of complications. We estimated the optimal cut-off (OCO) determined by a minimal p-value approach. RESULTS: The study included 56 hospital facilities and collected data of 1135 cases of surgical management of colorectal endometriosis. The mean and median number of procedures per year and per surgeon were 9.17 and 5.58, respectively. The overall rate of grade III-V complication was 7.6% (82/1135). One grade V complication occurred. The rates of rectovaginal fistula, anastomotic leakage, pelvic abscess, and ureteral fistula were: 2.7% (31/1135), 0.79% (9/1135), 3.4% (39/1135), and 0.70% (8/1135), respectively. An OCO of 20 procedures per center and per year (p < 0.001) was defined. The OCO per surgeon and per year varied between seven (p = 0.007) and 13 procedures (p = 0.03). In a multivariate analysis, we found that only the volume of activity was independently correlated to complication outcomes (p = 0.0013). CONCLUSION: Our results contribute to providing objective morbidity data to determine criteria for defining expert centers for colorectal surgery for endometriosis.

Tubal factor infertility with prior ectopic pregnancy: a double whammy? A retrospective cohort study of 2,892 women.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the impact of a history of previous naturally conceived tubal ectopic pregnancy (TEP) on subsequent IVF/intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) pregnancy and perinatal outcomes. DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study. SETTING: Reproductive medicine center in a tertiary hospital. PATIENT(S): A total of 2,892 women with tubal infertility undergoing the first fresh IVF/ICSI cycle. INTERVENTION(S): Women were stratified into three groups according to the type of previous naturally conceived pregnancy: TEP, intrauterine pregnancy (IUP), and no pregnancy. MAIN OUTCOMES MEASURE(S): Pregnancy and neonatal outcomes were analyzed for each cohort and stratified into the following categories based on female age: <30 years, 30-35 years, and ≥35 years. RESULT(S): Of the 2,892 patients with tubal factor infertility, 511 (17.7%) women had a history of TEP, 1,044 (36.1%) had prior IUP, and 1,337 (46.2%) had never been pregnant. Couples with an initial TEP tended to be younger and had experienced a shorter duration of infertility. Across the whole cohort, the optimal live birth rate decreased in older age groups. Live birth rates stratified by maternal age (<30, 30-35, ≥35 years) did not differ between the TEP group (59.9%, 53.7%, 45.5%) and the IUP (62.0%, 53.8%, 40.6%) and no pregnancy group (56.7%, 54.4%, 45.6%). This did not change after adjusting for confounders such as age and years of infertility. Previous treatment of TEP with salpingectomy, salpingostomy, or medical treatment did not significantly affect subsequent fertility outcomes. The rates of preterm and low birth weight after TEP were also not significantly higher than in women with a previous IUP. CONCLUSION(S): Fertility history, including previous TEP, does not influence the probability of live birth after IVF/ICSI in women with tubal factor infertility.

Fallopian tube subtle pathology.

The aim of the present review is to give a comprehensive overview of fallopian subtle lesions and suggest the impacts of these abnormalities on fertility. Tubal subtle variations, including tubal diverticula, Morgagni hydatids, accessory fallopian tube, accessory ostium of the fallopian tube, tubal phimosis, agglutination, and sacculation, have been described and cited as making significant contributions to infertility. This review summarizes characteristics of these subtle abnormalities and provides an update of recent knowledge of the diagnosis and management of these variations. We hope that the present contribution may help to bring more attention to the clinical field to recognize these abnormalities and consequently aid in improving fertility.

Advances in the assessment of the uterus and fallopian tube function.

Hysterosalpingo-contrast-sonography (HyCoSy) using saline and Echovist is a well tolerated outpatient technique that provides a significant amount of information of relevance to the infertile woman that is not obtainable at hysterosalpingogram (HSG) whilst avoiding exposure to X-ray irradiation. When performed by experienced operators, it serves as a valuable, first-line screening test for the more invasive procedures of laparoscopy and dye chromopertubation and hysteroscopy. If detailed diagnostic information is required in women in whom there is no clinical or ultrasound evidence of pelvic pathology, the surgical technique of fertiloscopy can be considered to be appropriate. This technique permits confirmation that the ovum pick-up mechanism is normal, the tubes are patent and the uterine cavity is normal, while salpingoscopy and microsalpingoscopy permit the assessment of the tubal lumen.

Pelvic-floor muscle rehabilitation in erectile dysfunction and premature ejaculation.

BACKGROUND: In men, involuntary or voluntary ischiocavernosus muscle contractions after erection lead to intracavernous blood pressures far higher than the systolic pressure, which builds and maintains penile rigidity. Thus, erectile dysfunction may be partly due to ischiocavernosus muscle atrophy and may be treated by rehabilitation interventions. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to determine whether pelvic-floor muscle strengthening interventions could be associated with increases in intracavernous pressure that would increase penile rigidity. DESIGN: An observational study was conducted. METHODS: One hundred twenty-two men with isolated erectile dysfunction and 108 men with isolated premature ejaculation participated (no neuromuscular diseases or previous perineal rehabilitation). Thirty-minute sessions of voluntary contractions coupled with electrical stimulation were designed to increase ischiocavernosus muscle strength (monitored through intracavernous pressure increase). A linear mixed-effects model per group analyzed separately, then jointly, the maximum change in pressure (ΔP) and the maximum baseline (ie, respectively, the average contraction-generated difference in intracavernous pressure and the intracavernous pressure plateau at full erection, both measured during the highest moving average of the best 2 minutes of each session). RESULTS: Over 20 sessions, the maximum ΔP increased in erectile dysfunction as well as in premature ejaculation (87% and 88%, respectively, in men with positive trends). The maximum baseline also increased (99% and 72%, respectively, in men with positive trends). The joint modeling indicated that the mean expected progressions of the intracavernous pressure after 5 sessions in erectile dysfunction and premature ejaculation were 62.85 and 64.15 cm H2O, respectively. LIMITATIONS: Indirect measurements were obtained of intracavernous pressure and ischiocavernosus muscle force. CONCLUSIONS: Pelvic-floor muscle rehabilitation was found to be beneficial in erectile dysfunction. However, its effects on symptoms of premature ejaculation, despite intracavernous pressure gains, were much more difficult to assess. The definitive proof of its benefits requires rather difficult-to-design clinical trials.

Proximal occlusion of hydrosalpinges by Essure(®) before assisted reproduction techniques: a French survey.

OBJECTIVES: To study the feasibility and results (live-birth and complication rates) of placement of Essure(®) microinserts before assisted reproductive technology (ART) treatment of women with hydrosalpinx when laparoscopy should be avoided. Study design National survey of 45 French hospital centres providing ART reporting a retrospective analysis of 43 women with unilateral or bilateral hydrosalpinges and Essure(®) placement. The results of the following ART cycle were studied for 54 embryo transfers. RESULTS: The placement success rate reached 92.8% (65/70 tubes), and the mean number of visible intrauterine coils was 1.61 (range: 0-6). Pyosalpinx occurred in one case, and expulsion of the device into the uterus in two others. Of 43 women, 29 (67.4%) had a total of 54 fresh or frozen embryos transferred. The clinical pregnancy rate was 40.7% (22/54) and the live-birth rate 25.9% (14/54). The implantation rate was 29.3% (27/92). CONCLUSION: Essure(®) placement is an effective method for occlusion of hydrosalpinges before IVF. Monitoring the live-birth rate confirms that this option is the strongest in cases when laparoscopy is impossible or contraindicated.

[Evaluation of the level of stress and his indicators in physicians working in operating room]. / Évaluation du niveau de stress et de ses principaux indicateurs chez les praticiens de bloc opératoire.

METHODS: A questionnaire (146 questions) devised by ASSPRO Scientifique (Association de prévention du risque opératoire - Association for the prevention of surgical risk) and covering the professional and personal indicators likely to be involved in stress was used to assess the level of satisfaction or dissatisfaction of physicians and the level of stress. The collected data were analysed using frequency distribution tables and cross tabulations. RESULTS: Of the completed questionnaires returned by 1272 physicians (21.9% of the sampled physicians), 1204 questionnaires could be used. Of the total sample, 85.5% was male, between 35 and 64 years old (92.8%); they were anaesthetists (29.6%), orthopaedists (29.4%) or obstetrician gynaecologists (12.8%) attending a single workplace (67.9%) in sector 2 (64%). More than one quarter of these physicians reported feelings of exhaustion after work and one quarter of them had a fear of the workload ahead. Overall, the mean level of happiness (on a scale from 0 to 10) was quite high (6.7) and the mean stress level (graded from 0 to 10) was 5.9 (above or equal to 8 in 29.8%). The links between the stress level and the behaviour or the frame of mind at work were especially clear and significant for the following factors (stress level on a scale from 0 to 10): fear of the workload ahead (8.3), feeling of exhaustion (7.6), inability to 'switch off' (7.5) or to distance oneself from the difficult times of the day (7.3), sleeping disturbances (7.3), back pain (6.9) and headaches (6.9), which factors seem to be strong indicators of an advanced state of stress.

Safe and simplified endoscopic technique in transvaginal NOTES.

Although main obstacles for entry routes (transgastric, transvesical, and transrectal) in natural orifices transluminal endoscopic surgery are closure of the incision and infection issues, the transvaginal route seems to be the most used. There is no doubt that classic colpotomy is a valid option. Nevertheless, this approach can be difficult and time consuming. From our experience with fertiloscopy via vaginal access and using an existing disposable trocar, we describe a new safe and simple technique for transvaginal natural orifices transluminal endoscopic surgery.

Fertility after ovarian drilling by transvaginal fertiloscopy for treatment of polycystic ovary syndrome.

STUDY OBJECTIVE: To evaluate fertiloscopy ovarian drilling with bipolar energy in women with clomiphene citrate-resistant polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). DESIGN: Prospective study (Canadian Task Force classification II). SETTING: University teaching hospital and private clinic. PATIENTS: Eighty women with clomiphene citrate-resistant PCOS. INTERVENTION: Operative transvaginal fertiloscopy with a coaxial bipolar electrode. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: During a mean follow-up of 18.1 months (+/- 6.4), 73 women (91%) recovered regular and ovulatory cycles. The cumulative pregnancy rate was 60% (44/73) for spontaneous and stimulated cycles, with 39.7% (29/73) imputed to drilling alone. The mean time to conceive was 3.9 months (range 1-11.8). There were eight miscarriages (18%), and no ectopic pregnancies or multiple pregnancy. No complications occurred. CONCLUSION: Ovarian drilling by transvaginal fertiloscopy with bipolar electrosurgery appears to be an effective minimally invasive procedure in patients with PCOS resistant to clomiphene citrate.