The preoperative diagnosis of pelvic congestion by means of 133Xenon injected into the cervical myometrium.

The pelvic congestion syndrome is an ill-defined entity and despite clinical signs and symptoms diagnosis is almost always presumptive. We studied the clearance of 133Xenon injected into the cervical myometrium, the aim being to evaluate the usefulness of the method as a diagnostic tool in this condition. At the interoperative controls signs of pelvic congestion were present in 40 patients and absent in 36. The mean cervico-myometrial blood flow was 14.28 +/- 6.46 ml/100 g/min in the first group and 25.13 +/- 7.07 ml/100 g/min in the second (p less than 0.01). We obtained false negative responses in 6 cases, false positive ones in 2 and doubtful ones in 16 cases.

[Post-pill amenorrhea and prolactin]. / Amenorrea post-pillola e prolattina.

PIP: 10 patients on combined oral contraception (OC), with ethinyl estradiol and d-norgestrel, were observed to examine prolactin levels during each day of one menstrual cycle. At the end of treatment 4 of the patients underwent a test with thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH). The same test was conducted on 7 additional patients affected with postpill amenorrhea. Prolactin level appeared to be normal during OC treatment, and after termination of OC treatment. However, 3 out of the 7 additional patients examined presented a very high prolactin response to stimulation with TRH.^ieng