Vaginal fibroma. Case report.

A case of a vaginal fibroma in a 50-year-old woman is presented. The tumor presented as a solid mass in the upper third of the anterior vaginal wall. Intravenous pyelography (IVP) and cystoscopy excluded any association of the mass with the urinary tract. Surgical excision of the tumor was easily accomplished and histopathological examination established the diagnosis of a fibroid tumor of the vagina.

Risk factors predisposing to fetal loss following a second trimester amniocentesis.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the influence of possible risk factors on fetal loss rate following amniocentesis. DESIGN: Retrospective analysis of case records between 1993 and 1998. SETTING: Fetal medicine unit of a large teaching hospital. POPULATION: One thousand and six women with singleton pregnancies formed the study group. Seven hundred and eight of them had bleeding during the current pregnancy before the procedure. while 298 had a history of three or more first trimester abortions and/or a second trimester miscarriage or termination of pregnancy. Four thousand and twenty-four women who had amniocentesis and had no risk factors served as controls. Both groups were also classified according to maternal age. Group 1:1,610 women aged 20-34 years; Group 2: 2850 women aged 35-39 years; Group 3; 570 women > 40 years. METHODS: Women of both groups underwent a second trimester amniocentesis between 16 and 21 weeks of gestation. Fetal losses following amniocentesis were examined in three time intervals: 1. in the first two weeks after the procedure; 2. up to the 28th week; 3. from the 28th week to term. RESULTS: There was a statistically significant difference in the fetal loss rate between women aged 20-34 years (2.54%) and those > 40 years (5.1%). Women with a history of vaginal bleeding during the current pregnancy had a higher fetal loss rate compared with controls (6.5% vs 2.8%), which corresponds to an odds ratio of 2.4 (95% CI 1.69-3.42). A similar difference was found between the group of women with a history of previous abortions/terminations and the controls (8% vs 2.8%): OR 3.03 (95% Cl 1.92-4.79). CONCLUSIONS: There is a higher risk of fetal loss following amniocentesis in women > 40 years of age compared with those aged 20-34 years. Bleeding in the current pregnancy, a history of three or more first trimester abortions, a second trimester miscarriage or termination of pregnancy seem to be significant predisposing factors for fetal loss after an amniocentesis.

Cervico-isthmic pregnancy: an extremely rare case diagnosed during labour.

This case report describes a cervico-isthmic pregnancy ending in a live vaginal birth at 37+2 weeks' gestation. The case remained undiagnosed throughout pregnancy when after a fairly normal labour a massive haemorrhage occurred. After an unsuccessful effort to control the bleeding conservatively, a total abdominal hysterectomy was carried out. During the operation the diagnosis of cervico-isthmic pregnancy was confirmed, which was in accordance with the pathology report.

Syringomyelia and pregnancy-case report.

The course of a pregnancy in a woman with syringomyelia is presented. She was first admitted at 28 weeks' gestation suffering neurologic symptoms associated with a spinal cord injury, which had happened in the past. The disease was diagnosed with a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Delivery was accomplished by elective caesarean section under general anaesthesia at 37 weeks, in order to avoid straining during the second stage of an imminent labour.

False positive serum biochemical screening and subsequent fetal loss in women less than 35 years of age.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the fetal loss rate in women younger than 35 years of age following a false positive serum biochemical screening. DESIGN: Retrospective analysis of case records between 1991 and 1998. SETTING: Fetal medicine unit of a large teaching hospital. POPULATION: Four hundred and fifty-six women with singleton pregnancies and false positive serum biochemical screening for Down's Syndrome (study group). Nine hundred and twelve matched controls with true negative serum biochemical screening (control group). METHODS: Women of both groups had a second trimester serum screening for Down's Syndrome using alpha fetoprotein, human chorionic gonadotrophin (hCG) and unconjugated oestriol (uE3); and they also underwent genetic amniocentesis. RESULTS: The overall fetal loss rate in the study group was 5.3% (24/456), compared with 1.65% (15/912) in the control group RR 3.2, 95% CI 1.7-5.99; P < 0.001). The majority of fetal losses in the study group occurred after 28 weeks, while in the controls this happened between 24 and 28 weeks of gestation. CONCLUSIONS: A false positive serum biochemical screening in women under 35 years of age is associated with a threefold increased risk of subsequent fetal loss. However, most of fetal losses in this group occurred after 28 weeks, indicating that intensive antepartum fetal surveillance could improve the perinatal outcome.

Selective feticide of an affected fetus in the second trimester has comparable risks to those in the first trimester.

The broad acceptance of prenatal diagnosis of various genetic diseases leads to an ever-increasing number of parturients with twin gestations undergoing selective feticide of an affected fetus. In most of the cases, delayed diagnosis leads to second trimester reduction. The aim of the present study was to investigate whether this procedure can be performed in the second trimester with results comparable to those obtained when it is performed in the first trimester. There was a 5.6% miscarriage rate in the group reduced in the first trimester (n=18, Group A) and an 8.3% miscarriage rate in the group reduced in the second trimester (n=48, Group B). The mean weight of neonates in the first group was 2780 g, and in the second group 2620 g. The mean gestational age at delivery was 36.7 weeks for Group A and 35.1 weeks for Group B. No significant differences were observed for any two-paired values considered. There was no perinatal mortality in either group. We therefore conclude that selective feticide of an affected fetus is as safe in the second trimester as it is in the first.

Myasthenia gravis and pregnancy.

Three pregnancies in two women with myasthenia gravis (MG), are presented. The first woman expressed no antenatal complications and delivered a full-term 3350 g baby by caesarean section, because of a previous caesarean. The second woman had two preterm births in subsequent pregnancies, which were complicated by hydramnios. Her first pregnancy ended in neonatal death of a 860 g female with multiple congenital anomalies. In her second pregnancy there was an exacerbation of MG and the baby, an 880 g male died soon after birth, due to respiratory failure.

Prenatal diagnosis of fetal primary cytomegalovirus infection.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the reliability of prenatal diagnosis for congenital cytomegalovirus in women with primary infection. DESIGN: Retrospective analysis of case records between 1992 and 1997. SETTING: Fetal medicine unit of a large teaching hospital. POPULATION: Forty-two pregnant women with primary cytomegalovirus infection. METHODS: Fetal diagnosis was made by amniocentesis for viral culture and amplification of cytomegalovirus DNA by polymerase chain reaction (n = 37), or by cordocentesis for the detection of cytomegalovirus-specific IgM antibodies (n = 13). All patients had serial ultrasonographic scans in order to detect those fetuses with abnormalities that could be associated with cytomegalovirus infection. RESULTS: Fourteen pregnancies (33 x 3%) had evidence of vertical transmission. Nine out of 14 (64 x 3%) had positive amniotic fluid culture, while 11 (78 x 6%) had positive polymerase chain reaction results. The combination of both tests allowed antenatal diagnosis in 12 of the 14 infected fetuses (sensitivity 85 x 7%). All women who underwent cordocentesis for the detection of cytomegalovirus-specific IgM antibodies had negative results, but in two cases cytomegalovirus infection was detected by amniotic fluid studies. In five of the infected fetuses there were abnormal ultrasonographic findings. All pregnancies with evidence of vertical transmission were terminated and the remainder proceeded normally to term. CONCLUSIONS: Our data showed that amniotic fluid studies, preferably polymerase chain reaction amplification of viral DNA, are the best diagnostic tools for the detection of vertical transmission in pregnancies with primary cytomegalovirus infection. For women with positive amniotic fluid studies who elect to continue their pregnancies, cordocentesis and serial ultrasound scans may be useful for assessment of fetal status.

Fetal fibronectin as a predictor of preterm birth.

Preterm delivery remains the leading cause of perinatal mortality and occurs in approximately 7-9% of pregnancies. The main problem for the obstetrician is the inability to detect women at risk from this complication. The presence of fetal fibronectin (fFN) in cervicovaginal secretions has been proposed as a specific predictor of preterm delivery. Immunohistochemical studies suggest that fFN is present in the extracellular matrix of the decidua basalis next to the intervillus space. It has been studied intensively in symptomatic patients and has a positive predictive value of 43-79%. It has also a negative predictive value of 99.7% for birth within 7 days and 93% for delivery before 37 weeks. Similarly, in high-risk asymptomatic women, it has been proved a useful screening tool for the prediction of preterm delivery, yielding a sensitivity of 43-92%, a specificity of 52-93%, a positive predictive value of 43-85% and a negative predictive value of 86-99%. In low-risk asymptomatic women, fFN has a sensitivity of 63-73%, a specificity of 80-98%, a positive predictive value of 13-36% and a negative predictive value of 95-97%. In women presenting with preterm contractions, a negative test may make one withhold potentially dangerous tocolytic therapy. In asymptomatic women this test can identify patients who have a very high risk for early delivery. Women identified as being high-risk can be offered steroid injections in order to improve lung maturity in preterm babies. Additionally, they can be counselled about the signs and symptoms of preterm labour, so that they can seek medical advice before labour is actually established. However, extensive research is still needed, as no clear benefit in preventing preterm birth using this test, has been shown so far.

Reduction of multifetal pregnancies to twins does not increase obstetric or perinatal risks.

Selective reduction in cases of multiple fetuses is used more often nowadays due to the increased number of multiple pregnancies resulting from assisted reproduction. In this retrospective study, we investigated whether twin pregnancies derived from fetal reduction carry a higher obstetric and perinatal risk compared to standard twin pregnancies. We found that the rate of miscarriage was 10.6% in the reduction group (n = 158) compared to 9.5% in the controls (n = 135). Mean gestational age at delivery was 35.7 weeks in the reduction group versus 35.1 weeks in the control group. Mean neonatal weight at birth was 2.260 g (800-3.750 g) in the reduction group compared to 2.240 g (540-3.360 g) in controls. Perinatal mortality rate was 49.3 per thousand after reduction and 42.0 per thousand in the control group. There was no statistically significant difference in any of the above parameters. Therefore, multifetal pregnancy reduction to twins does not appear to increase obstetric or perinatal risks.

Debate about ultrasound screening policies.

Routine ultrasound examination is defined as a screening procedure performed on the total obstetric population usually at 18-20 weeks of gestation as opposed to the selective use of ultrasound that might provide more information for a problem that is suspected on clinical grounds. Standard ultrasound examination includes a comprehensive examination of fetal anatomy as part of routine ultrasound. It is important for the clinician to realise that the comprehensive examination of fetal anatomy is an essential, not optional, part of the routine examination. Screening may lead to unnecessary anxiety if there is a false-positive result, or to a false sense of security if there is a false-negative result. The routine offering of obstetric ultrasound screening is the central issue in the general question of whether every woman should receive an obstetric ultrasound examination. The majority of countries have adopted the following diagnostic strategy. All pregnancies must be ultrasonographically tested in accordance with the protocols commonly recommended. The ultrasonography done at 18-20 weeks, which is known to be fundamental for diagnosing prenatal malformations, must always be performed at level II. High-risk pregnancies of malformations are to be selected in the first level of screening and referred to level II for further study. There is extensive literature neither supporting an improvement in perinatal morbidity or mortality nor an overall reduction in unnecessary intervention with routine ultrasound. The role of routine ultrasonography and its validity as a screening test for fetal malformation in a low-risk population is still the object of debate.

Pregnancy and homozygous beta thalassaemia major.

Nine pregnant women with homozygous beta-thalassaemia major followed a strict transfusion regimen to maintain their haemoglobin level > 10 g/dl. One pregnancy was terminated because of concern about desferrioxamine teratogenicity and another ended in miscarriage at 11 weeks. All other women were delivered by elective caesarean section between 37 and 38 weeks. There were no obstetric complications or perinatal deaths.

Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma during pregnancy--case report.

Occurrence of Non Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) in pregnancy is very rare. A 24-year-old woman with NHL stage IVB complicating pregnancy is presented. The diagnosis was made by biopsy at 27 weeks. The patient received combination chemotherapy which led to remission of the disease. The baby was delivered by an emergency caesarean section, due to fetal distress at 31 weeks. Unfortunately after a short period of remission a relapse occurred and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) showed cerebral involvement, indicating a poor prognosis. She died seven months later from disseminated disease.

Local application of methotrexate for ectopic pregnancy with a percutaneous puncturing technique.

Management of ectopic pregnancy remains traditionally surgical. Early detection of unruptured ectopic pregnancies, using both ultrasound techniques and beta-human chorionic gonadotropin (beta-hCG) assays, allows a more conservative treatment. Twenty-six tubal pregnancies, which were managed with local methotrexate (MTX) injection, are presented. A single dose of 10-12.5 mg of MTX was percutaneously injected into the gestational sac under abdominal sonographic control. Complete resolution was obtained in all our patients. Four of them required a second percutaneous administration 4 days after the first one. Negligible serum beta-hCG levels (< 10 mIU/ml) were reached within 42 days after treatment. No systemic side effects were observed. Local administration of MTX under abdominal sonographic control seems to be an effective alternative for the treatment of ectopic pregnancy. The main potential advantages of the method are (1) a greater antitrophoblastic effect; (2) a shorter treatment period; (3) reduced dosage, and (4) absence of side effects.

Predictive value of amniotic fluid and fetal blood cultures in pregnancy outcome in preterm prelabour rupture of membranes.

We carried out a comprehensive prospective study of 26 pregnancies complicated by preterm rupture of the membranes. Microbiological assessment included cultures for aerobic and anaerobic bacteria, Mycoplasmas, Chlamydia, Trichomonas and fungi from: high vaginal and cervical swabs, maternal blood and urine, amniotic fluid and fetal blood on admission and finally, placenta and umbilical cord = after delivery. The group with positive cultures (n 16), was compared with the group with negative cultures = (n 10) in terms of gestational age at labour, latent phase after membrane rupture and fetal and neonatal morbidity and mortality. All patients with positive cultures delivered before 32 weeks and their neonates had evidence of infection. Three intrauterine deaths occurred in this group and 12/13 (86%) of the live neonates were admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit. The 10 (38%) patients of the group with negative cultures delivered after 32 weeks, had no perinatal deaths, and only two were admitted to neonatal intensive care. The median latent phase differed between these two groups (4.5 vs. 53.5 days, P 0.01), as did the median gestational age at labour (28 vs. 36 4 weeks, P 0.01). A positive amniotic fluid or fetal blood culture in the clinical setting of preterm rupture of the membranes indicates labour onset within a few days. Intrauterine infection with fetal sepsis is accompanied by high neonatal infectious morbidity (100%) and mortality (30%).

Circulating levels of immunoreactive parathyroid hormone-related protein and intact parathyroid hormone in human fetuses and newborns.

Undetectable or extremely low levels of circulating immunoreactive parathyroid hormone (PTH) have been reported in human newborns while PTH bioactivity was high. This prompted the hypothesis that the fetal calcemic hormone might be PTH-related protein. The purpose of this study was to measure circulating immunoreactive PTH-related protein in human fetuses and newborns in order to investigate this hypothesis. Parathyroid hormone-related protein (PTHrP(1-86) and intact PTH were measured using two-site immunoradiometric assays in plasma obtained by cordocentesis from 23 fetuses (19-33 weeks of gestation), from 17 newborns at term (38-41 weeks), from their mothers and from 22 normal women of reproductive age. Plasma PTHrP was detectable in all but one of the fetuses and newborns and in all the mothers and the controls. The mean level was similar among fetuses (19-33 weeks) (0.43 +/- 0.18 pmol/l), newborns (0.48 +/- 0.12), mothers (0.48 +/- 0.14) and normal controls (0.46 +/- 0.09). Plasma PTH was found to be significantly higher in fetuses at midgestation (1.0 +/- 0.99 pmol/l) than in the newborns (0.22 +/- 0.21) (p < 0.0025); maternal PTH was significantly higher compared to fetal level at mid-gestation (2.1 +/- 1.0, p < 0.01) as well as at term (2.69 +/- 1.40, p < 0.001). In the control women PTH was 3.07 +/- 1.25 pmol/l. These results showed that plasma amino-terminal PTHrP-(1-86) is detectable during the second half of human fetal life and its level remains unchanged during this period of time, in contrast to changing levels of fetal plasma PTH. The relatively low PTHrP-(1-86) level that we found in the newborns is not responsible for the high PTH-like bioactivity found by some investigators in cord blood at term.