ABSTRACT
The objective of this study is to monitor the process of effacement of the uterine cervix and demonstrate that transperineal sonography is the appropriate technique for this purpose. Eighty-six patients with normal, term pregnancies were studied at the beginning of labor. Transperineal sonography was performed in transverse and longitudinal planes. After the initial examination, patients were reexamined several times during a 1 to 4 hour period. We observed a progressive shortening of the canal and the synchronous opening of a funnel-shaped internal cervical os. When the funneling process reached the lower end of the cervix, both orifices fused, completing the process of effacement. The dilatation of the external os, which remained stationary during initial phase, increases very quickly once the effacement has been completed. Transperineal sonography efficiently imaged the changes described here.
Subject(s)
Cervix Uteri/diagnostic imaging , Cervix Uteri/physiology , Labor, Obstetric/physiology , Ultrasonography, Prenatal/methods , Female , Humans , Monitoring, Physiologic , PregnancyABSTRACT
27 cases with a diagnosis of Juvenile Dermatomyositis were studied from a total of 1307 patients who suffered from connective tissue diseases; 19 of which met the diagnosis criteria of Bohan and Peters. Females were the most frequently affected. 52.63% of the cases presented the first symptoms between 5 and 9 years of age. Skin lesions, debility in inferior extremities and fever were the most frequent motives of consultation. The Aldolase and LDH were the muscular enzymes whose values increased in the majority of the cases. The electromyography was more sensible than the muscular biopsy in the diagnosis of the disease. We suggest that the epidemiologic and clinical characteristics found in our study should be taken into account for further accurate diagnosis of Juvenile Dermatomyositis in Venezuela.