Minimally Invasive Myomectomy: An Overview on the Surgical Approaches and a Comparison with Mini-Laparotomy.

Uterine fibroids (UFs) are the most common benign solid tumors of the female genital tract manageable by surgical of pharmacological approach. When the medical management is ineffective or surgery is primarily requested, several surgical approaches can be used. Among these, minimally invasive surgery might be preferred. Myomectomy is the standard surgical treatment when fertility sparing is claimed. It can be performed via laparoscopy, robotic surgery and hysteroscopy and the choice depend on UFs features and surgeon's skill. Alongside these minimally invasive options, mini-laparotomy has been proposed as a less invasive surgical approach comparable to the well-established minimally invasive options. The aim of this review is to describe the most recent advances in minimally invasive techniques to perform myomectomy, comparing them with mini-laparotomy approach.

Scoring systems for the evaluation of adnexal masses nature: current knowledge and clinical applications.

Adnexal masses are a common finding in women, with 20% of them developing at least one pelvic mass during their lifetime. There are more than 30 different subtypes of adnexal tumours, with multiple different subcategories, and the correct characterisation of the pelvic masses is of paramount importance to guide the correct management. On that basis, different algorithms and scoring systems have been developed to guide the clinical assessment. The first scoring system implemented into the clinical practice was the Risk of Malignancy Index, which combines ultrasound evaluation, menopausal status, and serum CA-125 levels. Today, current guidelines regarding female patients with adnexal masses include the application of International Ovarian Tumours Analysis simple rules, logistic regression model 1 (LR1) and LR2, OVERA, cancer ovarii non-invasive assessment of treating strategy, and assessment of Different Neoplasias in the adnexa. In this scenario, the choice of the scoring system for the discrimination between benign and malignant ovarian tumours can be complex when approaching patients with adnexal masses. This review aims to summarise the available evidence regarding the different scoring systems to provide a complete overview of the topic.

Ulipristal Acetate Before Hysteroscopic Myomectomy: A Systematic Review.

IMPORTANCE: Uterine leiomyomas, also referred to as myomas or fibroids, are the most common benign tumors of the reproductive tract. Ulipristal acetate (UPA) is an active selective progesterone receptor modulator used as preoperative treatment for uterine myomas. PURPOSE: The aim of this review is to provide an overview of the literature about the effects of UPA administration before hysteroscopic myomectomy. The clinical question in "PICO" format was in patients affected by uterine myomas undergoing operative hysteroscopic management, "Does UPA impact the surgical outcomes?" EVIDENCE ACQUISITION: We performed a systematic literature search in PubMed/MEDLINE and Embase for original studies written in English (registered in PROSPERO CRD42018092201), using the terms "hysteroscopy" AND "ulipristal acetate" published up to March 2019. Original articles about UPA treatment before hysteroscopic myomectomy (randomized, observational, retrospective studies) were considered eligible. RESULTS: Our literature search produced 32 records. After exclusions, 4 studies were considered eligible for analysis. Results show that UPA does not worsen the overall technical difficulty of hysteroscopic myomectomy. Moreover, it may increase the chance of complete primary myomectomy in complex hysteroscopic procedures. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: Despite the positive results presented in this systematic review, low-quality evidence exists yet on the impact of UPA treatment before hysteroscopic myomectomy. High-quality prospective randomized controlled trials are required to establish the impact of UPA on surgical outcomes of patients treated for uterine myomas by hysteroscopy. Moreover, long-term outcomes of myomectomies after UPA treatment (such as frequency of myoma recurrence, recovery time, and quality of life) should be determined.

Non-pharmacological pain control in outpatient hysteroscopies.

Outpatient hysteroscopy has become the standard technique for gynaecological exploration of the uterine cavity. The most common reason for failure of the procedure is pain. During the last decade many studies were carried out to improve the equipment as well as the procedural technical aspects. Even so, hysteroscopy is still painful for many patients. Pharmacological pain control has been widely used for hysteroscopy, but these modalities can be invasive, have side effects and are contraindicated in many women. This review examines current literature on non-pharmacological interventions (pressure, stretching, heat, electricity, music and hypnosis) on the pain experienced during outpatient hysteroscopy.

Transcutaneous Nerve Stimulation for Pain Relief During Office Hysteroscopy: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the pain-relieving effect of transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) during office-based hysteroscopy without sedation. METHODS: We conducted a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. Participants were randomly assigned to the active TENS, placebo TENS, or control group. The active TENS intervention consisted of a varying high-frequency (80-100 Hz), 400-microseconds, individually adjusted, high-intensity TENS application with two self-adhesive electrodes placed parallel to the spinal cord at the T10-L1 and S2-S4 levels. In the placebo group, participants were connected to the TENS unit but delivering no electrical stimulation. The primary outcome was self-reported pain intensity (0-100 mm) measured on a visual analog scale at several stages (entry, contact, biopsy, and residual). The minimum clinically relevant difference for the visual analog scale has been previously reported as 10 mm. Sample size was calculated to provide 80% power to show a 10-mm difference (α=0.0125) in the primary outcome. Secondary outcomes included duration of the procedure, vital parameters, vasovagal symptoms, and participant satisfaction index (0-10 rating scale). RESULTS: A total of 138 women (46 per group) participated in the study between January 2016 and April 2016. No differences were found between groups regarding age, weight, body mass index, parity status, menopausal status, or previous hysteroscopy status. Visual analog scale scores highlighted a decrease in pain in the active TENS group compared with the placebo group (entry: -11 mm, 95% confidence interval [CI] -17 to -5; contact: -21.9 mm, 95% CI -30 to -13.9; biopsy: -30.5 mm, 95% CI -47.1 to -13.8, P<.001). Moreover, the reduction in pain reached the minimum clinically relevant difference. Regarding satisfaction, results also revealed differences between active TENS and placebo groups (1.3, 95% CI 0.5-2.2, P=.001). CONCLUSION: Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation reduces pain and increases patient satisfaction during office hysteroscopy without sedation. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov, www.clinicaltrials.gov, NCT02647008.