Assessment of Pre-operative Vaginal Preparation for Laparoscopic Hysterectomy.

Objective: Determine the difference in microbial growth from the vagina and uterine manipulator among patients undergoing laparoscopic hysterectomy after randomization to one of three vaginal preparation solutions (10% Povidone-iodine, 2% Chlorhexidine, or 4% Chlorhexidine). Method: This was a prospective randomized controlled trial in an academic community hospital. Patients were ≥ 18 years old and scheduled for laparoscopic hysterectomy for benign and malignant indications. Results: Fifty patients were identified and randomized into each arm. Prior to surgery, the surgical team prepared the vaginal field using 10% Povidone-iodine, 2% Chlorhexidine, or 4% Chlorhexidine, according to group assignment. Cultures were collected from the vagina after initial preparation, prior to the colpotomy, and on surfaces of the uterine manipulator. Bacterial count from the baseline vaginal fornix/cervical canal cultures did not differ significantly among the three groups. There was a difference in bacterial count among the second cervical canal/vaginal fornix cultures (p < 0.01), with the Povidone-iodine arm demonstrating the highest level of growth of cultures (93.8%), followed by 2% Chlorhexidine (47.4%), and 4% Chlorhexidine (20%). There was no difference in growth on the uterine manipulator handle and no difference in vaginal itching or burning was found across the three arms postoperatively. Conclusion: Bacterial growth prior to colpotomy was the lowest with 4% Chlorhexidine followed by 2% Chlorhexidine, the Povidone-iodine group exhibited the highest bacterial growth. There was no difference in moderate to severe vaginal itching or burning. This showed that 4% Chlorhexidine is superior in reducing bacterial growth when used in laparoscopic hysterectomy.

Surgical management of ovarian tumors without the support of intraoperative pathology readings in Bhaktapur Cancer Hospital.

Intraoperative frozen section plays an important role in surgical management of ovarian masses. Many hospitals in low- and middle-income countries lack this intraoperative pathologic guidance. In this retrospective analysis, we assessed the management of 62 patients who underwent surgical treatment for ovarian masses at Bhaktapur Cancer Hospital in Nepal in light of the final histopathology results. Final histopathology found that 64.5% of the ovarian masses were malignant, 1.0% were borderline, and 30.6% were benign. 55 of the 62 total cases were considered "clinically suspicious" and 52 of the 62 cases underwent hysterectomy and staging procedures in addition to oophorectomy. There was no significant difference in the surgical management or in the postoperative complications when comparing benign, borderline, and malignant masses. Without the support of intraoperative frozen section, benign and malignant masses were treated the same way. The majority of benign cases were overtreated and were exposed to additional risks of postoperative complications. Several malignant cases were undertreated and required additional surgery to appropriately treat and stage malignant ovarian masses. Improved pathology support in Bhaktapur Cancer Hospital would result in better patient outcomes, fewer complications, and avoidance of additional staging surgeries.

Magnetic resonance imaging of the ankle performed on an InterStim patient.

Patients undergoing InterStim implantation often have comorbidities, which require magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for diagnosis. Although MRI of the head has been recently approved for use with the InterStim neurostimulator, imaging of other regions remains controversial. We present a case of Achilles tendinitis diagnosed on MRI of the ankle in a patient with an InterStim device. The neurostimulator was deactivated, and using a transmit/receive extremity coil, the left ankle was imaged without any adverse events. At 9 months post-imaging, the patient continued to have good control of symptoms with InterStim, with no negative effects from MRI. MRI of the ankle is feasible in patients with InterStim implants using transmit/receive coils. Further evaluation is warranted to study the safety of MRI of other body region in InterStim patients.

Transvaginal retropubic sling systems: efficacy and patient acceptability.

Stress urinary incontinence is a common, disabling, and costly medical problem that affects approximately 50% of women with urinary incontinence. Suburethral retropubic slings have been developed as a minimally invasive and effective surgical option, and they have been used as a first-line treatment for stress urinary incontinence since 1995. However, complications including vaginal extrusion, erosion, pain, bleeding, infections, lower urinary tract symptoms, urinary retention, and incontinence have been reported with use of the slings. Several companies manufacture sling kits, and the sling kits vary with regard to the composition of the mesh and introducer needle. The aim of this review was to determine which sling kit was most effective for patients, had minimal reported side effects, and was best accepted by patients and surgeons. In a review of the literature, it was found that a total of 38 studies were published between 1995 and 2014 that reported on eight tension-free retropubic sling kits: SPARC, RetroArc, Align, Advantage, Lynx, Desara, Supris, and Gynecare TVT. The Gynecare TVT was the most cited sling kit; the second most cited was the SPARC. This review provides a summary of the studies that have examined positive and negative outcomes of the retropubic tension-free suburethral sling procedure using various sling kits. Overall, the results of the literature review indicated that data from comparisons of the available sling kits are insufficient to make an evidenced-based recommendation. Therefore, the decision regarding which sling kit is appropriate to use in surgery is determined by the medical provider's preference, training, and past experience, and not by the patient.