Horner's syndrome and epidural anesthesia in labor and cesarean section.

Homer's syndrome (HS) is based on dysfunction of symphathetic nervous system at the cervical canal. The signs of the syndrome occur on the same side as the lesion of the sympathetic trunk and include: a constricted pupil, a weak-droopy eyelid, apparent decreased sweating, and with or without inset eyeball. HS has been observed as a rare complication of epidural anaesthesia in obstetrics during labour or cesarean section. In parturients, it warrants further investigation as other serious causes must be excluded, such as pancoast tumours, thoracic aortic aneurysms, carotid dissection, neuroblastoma, and brainstem vascular malformation. Management involves early diagnosis of the underlying benign condition while treatment is based on appropriate conservative observation, as most often the syndrome resolves spontaneously. However in very rare cases immediate medical or surgical management is needed.

ANTIMÜLLERIAN HORMONE AS INDICATOR OF OVARIAN DYSFUNCTION.

AIM: The purpose of this study was to examine various hormonal, biochemical and environmental factors (i.e., smoking and alcohol intake) and to investigate their possible correlation to the development of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). The main objective was to evaluate the associations between hormonal profile and the antimüllerian hormone (AMH) levels in PCOS patients and their relation to environmental factors. PATIENTS AND METHODS: In two gynecological clinics, 38 women with PCOS (defined according to the Rotterdam criteria) were enrolled and observed in relation to AMH, follicle stimulating hormone (FSH), luteinizing hormone (LH), testosterone (T), Δ4-androstendione (Δ4-A), dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEA-S) and glucose plasma concentrations. Obesity, smoking and alcohol exposure were also studied. RESULTS: AMH, T, Δ4-Α, DHEA-S, LH and FSH were increased in 76.3%, 50%, 31.8%, 23.7%, 21% and 18.4% of the patients, respectively. The LH/FSH ratio and glucose concentrations increased abnormally in 18.4% and 15.8% of the patients, respectively. AMH and T levels were both increased in 47.4% of the patients whereas both AMH and LH levels increased in 21% of the patients. Smoking, alcohol intake, obesity and glucose concentrations were not associated with AMH concentrations. On the contrary, high levels of T and LH were linked to higher levels of AMH. FSH concentrations were not increased in these patients. CONCLUSION: AMH is an important hormonal parameter for the diagnosis of PCOS. Larger clinical controlled studies are necessary in an effort to further investigate the inclusion of AMH measurement in the diagnostic criteria of PCOS.

Induction of Labor in Post-Term Nulliparous and Parous Women - Potential Advantages of Misoprostol over Dinoprostone.

INTRODUCTION: We undertook a prospective cohort study to compare the effectiveness and safety of 50 µg misoprostol versus 3 mg dinoprostone in two vaginal doses 6 hours apart, followed if necessary by oxytocin for labor induction in low-risk post-term (> 40 weeks) pregnancies with unfavorable cervix (Bishop score ≤ 6). METHODS: Labor induction and subsequent management were conducted using a standardized protocol. The primary outcome of the study was labor induction rate. Secondary outcomes included mode of delivery, time interval from induction to delivery, maternal complications and neonatal outcome. RESULTS: 107 patients received misoprostol (Group A) and 99 patients received dinoprostone (Group B). Compared with group A, more women in Group B needed a second vaginal dose of prostaglandin or oxytocin infusion in order to proceed to labor (21.5 vs. 43.4 %; p = 0.01). Misoprostol alone as a single or double vaginal dose was more effective than dinoprostone alone in inducing labor without oxytocin administration (85.0 vs. 50.4 %; p = 0.04). Overall, the rate of successful induction of labor did not differ between groups (91.6 vs. 85.8 %; p = 0.75). Vaginal delivery, operative vaginal delivery and Caesarean section rates were not significantly different. Time interval from induction to delivery however, was shorter for Group A (median 11 hours vs. 14.1 hours; p < 0.001). Though emergency Caesarean section due to fetal distress was more frequent in Group A (16.8 vs. 4.0 %; p = 0.007), low Apgar scores < 7 and NICU admissions did not differ significantly. Maternal complications, mostly not serious, were higher in Group A (31.8 vs. 2.0, p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Misoprostol is a more effective agent than dinoprost in post-term pregnancy for labor induction with few maternal adverse effects.

Chronic renal failure, diabetes mellitus type-II, and gestation: an overwhelming combination.

This case report highlights on a child-bearer with chronic renal failure and diabetes mellitus type-II. Chronic renal failure (CRF) with diabetes mellitus (DM) type I in gestation is a rare case of a high-risk pregnancy. What is of significance though in this gestation, is that conception was achieved with the patient treated by a dialysis program. Furthermore, neither hypertension nor intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) were detected and the patient was normotensive throughout gestation with no clinical signs of anemia. Strict and frequent application of the dialysis programs eradicates the uremic intrauterine environment, reduces the amniotic fluid volume, eliminates the chances of uterine rupture, leads to a longer gestation, increases the newborn's birth weight, and offers an optimal fetal survival rate; this is of note mainly in patients with cesarean sections reported in their medical history. To eliminate the complications of a premature delivery, the present authors had to find the right time point to give birth to this baby taking into account lung maturity, amniotic fluid volume, and preservation of the anatomical uterine integrity.

Brenner tumour of the ovary--an incidental histological finding.

Brenner tumours of the ovary are uncommon neoplasms and mostly benign. There is general agreement that Brenner tumors are derived from the surface epithelium of the ovary or the pelvic mesothelium through transitional cell metaplasia. It is essential to categorise these tumours as benign, borderline or malignant type as the biologic behaviour and choice of surgery differs in all of the three categories. The authors report a case of Brenner tumour that had only a single area with a beginning indistinct stroma vessel invasion. However the presence of characteristic epithelial nests, fibromatous stroma, and marked cytological metaplasia without atypia provided important clues to the correct diagnosis--proof of a benign tumour.

Pre-eclampsia and the vascular endothelial growth factor: a new aspect.

Pre-eclampsia (PE) is a multi-system disorder of human gestation characterized by hypertension, proteinuria, and edema, which resolves with placental delivery. This disease affects 3-14% of all pregnancies worldwide and 5-8% in the USA. Furthermore PE remains one of the leading causes of maternal and neonatal mortality and morbidity worldwide. One of the most important goals in obstetrics is the early identification of the patient with an increased risk for PE. This paper unifies the essential and validated findings of past and current scientific investigation which encompass the relationship between PE and the vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF). VEGF and its receptors have acquired great interest due to their vital role in neovascularization (vasculogenesis and angiogenesis) in a variety of physical and pathological processes such as the female reproductive cycle, PE, and tumorigenesis. VEGF is secreted in response to tissue hypoxia and endothelial cell damage. Alterations in the circulating levels of this factor may therefore identify those pregnancies with a high possibility of developing PE. This review will summarize the present authors' current understanding of the role of circulating VEGF in the pathogenesis, clinical diagnosis, and prediction of PE.

The effectiveness of misoprostol or dinoprostone in neonatal outcome after labour induction in post-term nulliparas.

OBJECTIVE: The object of this study was to investigate the efficacy of vaginal administration of misoprostol versus dinoprostone in neonatal outcome. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The first Group A included 77 pregnant women, who requested pregnancy termination one week after labour term and received vaginally misoprostol 50 µg, while the other 69 pregnant women in Group B were vaginally administrated three mg dinoprostone. According to the authors' protocol this procedure was repeated after six hours for a maximum of two times. RESULTS: The labour duration was longer in Group B (p = 0.000), while the APGAR score was better in Group A (p = 0.015). In Group A the labour modus was as follows: 86.9% normal vaginal labour, 3.8% vacuum extraction, and 9.3% cesarean section, while in Group B it was 82.83% normal vaginal labour, 3.07% vacuum extraction, and 14.1% cesarean section. CONCLUSION: Misoprostol has advantages according to neonatal outcome compared to administration of dinoprostone.

Syndrome of hypoplastic left heart: a case report.

A 36-year-old woman, gravida 5, para 3, was referred to this outpatient clinic in the 18th week of gestation for monitoring of her pregnancy. A 22-week anomaly scan confirmed hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS) but the parents declined any medical intervention. Here the authors present the management of a pregnancy and the expected quality of neonatal life.

Diagnostic approach and therapeutic management in early-stage endometrial cancer.

OBJECTIVE: The effectiveness of pelvic and para-aortic lymphadenectomy in the morbidity of patients affected by early-stage endometrial carcinoma (EC) is the subject of this study. STUDY DESIGN: Ninety-two cases with endometrial cancer that underwent para-aortic and pelvic lymphadenectomy, from June 1995 to June 2006, were studied and compared with 30 cases of patients with endometrial cancer without lymphadenectomy. RESULTS: According to the results, systematic pelvic and para-aortic lymphadenectomies improved disease-free and overall survival rates among the patients with endometrial cancer. The mean number of removed para-aortic lymph nodes was 19.01 +/- 5.88, whereas the mean number of removed iliac lymph nodes was 32.94 +/- 6.69. Forty-two and 31 metastatic iliac and para-aortic nodes were found, respectively. No surgery-related deaths and major intraoperative injuries occurred. The frequency and the type of postoperative complications were not affected by the performance of lymphadenectomy. The morbidity rate was 6.2%, similar to the group without lymphadenectomy (5.79%). No recurrence occurred in the group with lymphadenectomy, while in the other group the recurrence rate was 23.3%. CONCLUSIONS: Lymph nodes metastases can be observed in early stages of EC. Pelvic and para-aortic lymphadenectomies seems to provide profound information about the Stage of the disease and the patient's survival, identifying which patients are suitable for supplementary treatment, without significant clinical increase of morbidity.

The relationship between Anti-Müllerian hormone and other reproductive parameters in normal women and in women with polycystic ovary syndrome.

OBJECTIVE: To correlate Anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) levels with years since menarche as well as to investigate the AMH relationship with ovarian morphology and levels of androgens in healthy normo- ovulatory women and in women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). DESIGN: Prospective clinical study. SETTING: University Hospital of Alexandroupolis, Lito Maternity Hospital. PATIENTS: Forty two healthy normo-ovulatory women and sixty one women with PCOS, recruited on the basis of the classic PCOS criteria (Rotterdam consensus meeting definition of PCOS (ESHRE/ASRM, 2004). INTERVENTIONS: Fasting blood was obtained from all subjects in the early follicular phase (days 5-6) after spontaneous or induced menses (in PCOS), and transvaginal ultrasound examination was performed. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Assessment of values for follicular stimulating hormone (FSH), testosterone (T), AMH, as well as assessments of years since menarche and ovarian volume. RESULTS: AMH had a statistically significant positive correlation with the ovarian volume (r =0,623, r =0,579 P<0.01) and negative correlation with years since menarche (r =-0,766, r =-0,796 (P<0.01). In women with PCOS, AMH and years since menarche had a significant correlation with testosterone (r =0,477, r = -0,527, P<0.01) CONCLUSIONS: This study underlines the relation between AMH and years since menarche as well as the AMH differences in relation with certain clinical or endocrine characteristics between normal and PCOS women.