Prospective evaluation of renal artery resistance and pulsatility indices in normal pregnant women.

OBJECTIVES: To establish normal values for renal artery resistance index (RI) and pulsatility index (PI) during gestation and, by comparison with non-pregnant controls, to determine if pregnancy affects these indices. METHODS: This was a prospective longitudinal study involving 36 normal pregnant women who underwent a total of 280 examinations at 4-week intervals from the 6th gestational week to the end of pregnancy. High-resolution ultrasound equipment with 'triplex' Doppler facilities was used. RI and PI were obtained for the main arteries of both kidneys. The same evaluation was performed in 15 non-pregnant women as controls. RESULTS: The mean RI in pregnant and non-pregnant women was the same (0.65 +/- 0.03 for controls and 0.65 +/- 0.02 for the pregnant women). For PI, the values were 1.25 +/- 0.12 for non-pregnant women and 1.18 +/- 0.09 for pregnant women. The only statistical difference (P < 0.05) was found between the PI of the left renal artery in the control group (1.29 +/- 0.20) and that in the pregnant group at the 8-12-week interval of gestational age (1.08 +/- 0.14). CONCLUSIONS: No significant alterations in renal artery RI and PI occur during normal pregnancy, except for in a subgroup of patients between 8 and 12 weeks of gestation.

Effect of inseminated volume on intrauterine insemination.

PURPOSE: Intrauterine insemination (IUI) is a method for the treatment of marital infertility involving the intrauterine or fallopian deposition of washed spermatozoa, depending on the amount of inseminated semen. In view of the divergent opinions about the inseminated volume, the objective of this study was to compare the two techniques (3.0 mL or 0.5 mL) in two groups of patients. METHODS: We performed 164 cycles of ovulation induction followed by IUI. The patients were divided into two groups according to the technique used. Group low volume--50 cycles and 0.5 mL of inseminated semen; Group high volume--114 cycles and 3.0 mL of inseminated semen. The cycle was monitored on the basis of endometrial thickness and follicular development measured by transvaginal ultrasound. Human chorionic gonadotrophin (hCG) was administered in the presence of a follicle measuring 18 mm in mean diameter. The procedure was performed after sperm washing using a discontinuous PureSperm gradient, 40 h later. RESULTS: We obtained a similar clinical pregnancy rate for the two groups (14.0% for Group low volume and 15.7% for Group high volume). There was one abortion in each group. We detected no interference by any etiology of infertility or by the total motile recovered sperm with pregnancy rate. CONCLUSIONS: The results did not demonstrate superiority of one method over the other, with both therapeutic alternatives being satisfactory for the treatment of infertile couples.

Effect of transitory hyperprolactinemia on in vitro fertilization of human oocytes.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the changes in plasma prolactin (PRL) during ovarian hyperstimulation (OH) and the influence of hyperprolactinemia on folliculogenesis, oocyte retrieval and in vitro fertilization (IVF) success rates and the usefulness of the metoclopramide (MCP) test in predicting the onset of hyperprolactinemia. STUDY DESIGN: Forty-nine cycles of OH were induced in 32 infertile women using follicle-stimulating hormone, human menopausal gonadotropin and human chorionic gonadotropin (GI) (n = 36), also in association with gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GII) (n = 13). The MCP test (10 mg, intravenously) was performed on fertile control women (control group, n = 9) and in GI (n = 21) and GII (n = 8) patients. RESULTS: Plasma PRL and estradiol levels increased during OH, reaching maximum levels on the day preceding oocyte retrieval in GI and GII. Since these two groups exhibited similar PRL curves, they were evaluated as a single group. Patients showing an increase in PRL of > 200% presented a greater number of follicles with a mean diameter > or = 12 mm and more mature oocytes and better IVF success rates than patients with a PRL increase < or = 200%. Oocyte retrieval did not differ between the groups. The MCP test showed hyperresponsiveness in the three groups studied, but no correlation was found between the PRL increase in this test and that during OH. CONCLUSION: Plasma PRL and estradiol levels increase during OH, while the MCP test cannot predict the onset of hyperprolactinemia. Transitory hyperprolactinemia seems to be associated with an increase in the numbers of follicles with a mean diameter > or = 12 mm and with more mature oocytes and better IVF success rates.

Induction of ovulation with clomiphene citrate in combination with metoclopramide in patients with amenorrhea of hypothalamic origin.

Literature data have demonstrated that the chronic use of metoclopramide (MCP), a dopamine antagonist, causes increased gonadotropin secretion in patients with hypothalamic amenorrhea but without triggering ovulation. It has also been observed that women with hypothalamic amenorrhea respond poorly to ovulation induction with clomiphene citrate (CC). On this basis, the objective of the present study was to determine the effect of MCP on the response to CC in patients with hypothalamic amenorrhea in order to evaluate the validity of the simultaneous use of these drugs as ovulation inducers in this type of chronic anovulation. Twenty-two patients with amenorrhea of hypothalamic origin were submitted to a randomized double blind study in which one tablet of 5 mg MCP or placebo was administered every 8 hours for 2 months. After the 30th day of medication (MCP or placebo), CC, 100 mg orally, was additionally administered to both groups for 5 days. Blood samples were collected on days 1, 15 and 30 during the first month of the study and on days 7, 14 and 21 after the last CC tablet during the second month, for later measurement of follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), luteinizing hormone (LH), prolactin, estradiol and progesterone by radioimmunoassay. The group that received MCP showed a significant increase in LH and FSH during the first month of the study, as well as a slighter increase in estradiol. Prolactin increased only during the second stage of treatment. No significant increases in gonadotropins, prolactin or estradiol occurred in the placebo group. In the group treated with MCP, 40% of the patients ovulated after CC, with menstruation occurring in 60% of them. In the placebo group, 33.3% of the women ovulated after CC and 44.4% menstruated at the end of the study. We conclude that MCP increases the circulating levels of LH, FSH, estradiol and prolactin in patients with hypothalamic amenorrhea and low estrogen levels, supporting the hypothesis that an increase in hypothalamic dopaminergic tonus occurs in these patients. On the other hand, the combination of MCP and CC does not improve the rate of ovulation compared to placebo.

The addition of fructose or sodium citrate does not improve recovery rates of cryopreserved human spermatozoa.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effects of the addition of sodium citrate and/or fructose to medium containing egg yolk, glycerol and TEST buffer (TES(N-tris[hydroxymethyl] methyl-2-aminoethanesulfonic acid) plus Tris (hydroxymethyl)-aminomethane) on human sperm cryopreservation. DESIGN: Sperm cryopreservation in three cryoprotective media, followed by thawing 3 weeks or 3 months later. SETTING: University outpatient clinic. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Twenty-two semen samples from fertile men were evaluated before and after freezing for 3 weeks or 3 months in three different cryoprotective media consisting of a stock solution (TEST-YOLK) to which 20% sodium citrate was added plus 2% fructose (TESTC I) or to which 20% sodium citrate, but no fructose, was added (TESTC-II).I MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Measurements of quantitative sperm motility, progressive motility, vitality and recovery rates before and after freezing. RESULTS: Before freezing, the addition of the different media increased sperm progressive motility but did not change quantitative motility or vitality. Sample freezing reduced all the above variables both after 3 weeks and after 3 months, with no difference between the two freezing times. Semen analysis two hours after thawing showed a significant fall in both motility and vitality when compared with samples analyzed immediately after thawing. No significant differences in recovery rates were observed between media or within the same medium when the two freezing times (3 weeks and 3 months) were compared. CONCLUSION: The addition of sodium citrate and/or fructose to the cryoprotective medium does not improve sperm motility or vitality after freezing.

A new method for sampling maternal blood in the placental intervillous space.

The intervillous space (IVS) is part of the histofunctional unit of the human placenta and by being a fetal-maternal exchange interface is an important subject of study for the understanding of fetal physiology, especially in nutritional investigations. A method developed for the collection of IVS blood has permitted to evaluate the fetal-maternal exchanges in an effective manner. Two disadvantages of this method, however, are the mixing of IVS blood and fetal blood and marked hemolysis. In the present study we introduce and describe some modifications of this method using a single stylet for the perforation of the chorionic plate which simplifies collection and reduces the chance of mixing and hemolysis of the samples obtained.

Assistência e avaliaçäo: um exercício na implantaçäo de um ambulatorio primario de ginecologia - Centro de Saude escola de Ribeiräo Preto, 1985 / Medical care and evaluation: an exercise in the implementation of a gynaecology primary health care - Ribeiräo Preto Medical School Health Center , 1985

A tarefa de programar em saude tambem implica em estar atento ao processo de execuçäo e avaliaçäo das açöes de saude. Nessa orientaçäo foi proposto um serviço de atençäo primaria em ginecologia na Unidade de Saude de Vila Tiberio do Centro de Saude Escola de Ribeiräo Preto, no ano de 1985. Este estudo revelou que 36,5% do total de 148 mulheres atendidas possuiam entre 15 e 25 anos de idade; as cervicopatias e doenças sexualmente transmitidas foram os diagnosticos mais frequentes (16,4%). Encontraram-se taxas de alta e abandono de 48,6% e 33,8%, respectivamente, enquanto 17,6% das pacientes continuaram em seguimento. Receberam encaminhamento a outro nível de assistencia 28,4% do total delas, ressaltando-se que em 40,5% deles o motivo foi a falta de eletrocauterio nessa Unidade de Saude

Cardiopatia e gravidez.Revisao de 150 casos. / Cardiopathy and pregnancy.Review of 150 cases

No presente trabalho foi realizado um estudo retrospectivo de 150 gestantes cardiopatas, cujos partos ocorreram no Hospital das Clinicas da Faculdade de Medicina de Ribeirao Preto, no periodo de marco de 1979 a julho de 1981. Foram analisados principalmente os seguintes parametros: prevalencia, tipo de cardiopatia, afeccoes intercorrentes, periodo gestacional em que ocorreu descompensacao cardiaca, exames complementares para a avaliacao da vitalidade e maturidade fetais, tipo de parto e analgotocia e morbimortalidade materna e fetal. Os resultados permitiram a importancia do pre-natal, bem como os cuidados com o trabalho de parto, pois ficou claro que a cardiopatia na gravidez piora a morbimortalidade materna e fetal

Diabetes potencial e gestacional.Morbidade materno-fetal. / Potencial and gestational diabetes Maternal and fetal morbidity

Os autores estudaram retrospectivamente 103 gestantes com diabetes potencial e que foram submetidas ao teste oral de tolerancia a glicose (GTT) apos a 28a. semana de gestacao. Os resultados mostraram que 32% das pacientes tinham GTT alterado (diabetes gestacional, grupo I) e 68% com GTT normal (grupo II). As pacientes do grupo I apresentaram maior incidencia de toximia gravidica e candidiase vaginal. Tambem tiveram 42,4% de partos operatorios contra apenas 28,6% do grupo II. No que se refere ao peso dos recem-nascidos nao houve diferenca significativa entre eles. Entretanto os RN do grupo I apresentaram maior morbidade do que os do grupo II. Finalmente, e proposta uma conduta para o rastreamento da diabetes gestacional

Isoimunizacao feto-materna. I. Caracteristicas maternas. / Feto-maternal immunization. I. Maternal characteristics

Estudaram-se, no periodo de 1970 a l977, l.l53 pacientes gravidas, com fator Rh negativo. No grupo de gestantes imunizadas, analisaram-se os seguintes parametros: incidencia, frequencia da isoimunizacao, numero de gestacoes, paridade, grupo sanguineo materno e paterno, incompatibilidade ABO e antecedentes maternos. Observou-se que a frequencia de isoimunizacao correspondeu, nesse periodo, a 8,2%. 80% das gestantes estavam entre 25 a 30 anos; 51,58% tinham entre 3 a 5 gestacoes e a frequencia de isoimunizacao cresceu proporcionalmente a este parametro, bem como em relacao a paridade. Encontraram-se 50,53% de pacientes pertencentes ao grupo A e 33,68% ao grupo O. Houve predominio (79,92%) de gestantes compativeis no sistema ABO

Isoimunizacao feto-materna. II. Aspectos laboratoriais. Valor do teste indireto de Coombs no soro materno. / Feto-maternal immunization. II. Laboratorial aspects. Value of indirect Coombs test in maternal serum

Foram analisados 229 testes indiretos de Coombs no soro materno, realizados em 95 gestantes Rh negativo isoimunizadas, correlacionando-os com a bilirrubina do liquido amniotico e com a hemoglobina e a bilirrubina total do recem-nato, os dois ultimos elementos determinados por ocasiao do parto. Conclui-se pela validade do titulo de l:8 como valor critico para o teste indireto de Coombs no soro materno. Acima desse valor, piora o prognostico fetal

Isoimunizacao feto-materna. III. Aspectos pediatricos. / Feto-maternal isoimmunization. III. Pediatric aspects

Estudando 66 recem-nascidos de maes Rh negativo isoimunizadas, os autores analisaram o tipo de parto, o grupo sanguineo, a idade gestacional, o peso, as condicoes de nascimento e o tratamento recebido no bercario. Os recem-natos foram divididos em tres grupos, de acordo com o fator Rh e o teste de Coombs direto: Grupo 1 - Recemnascidos Rh positivo e Coombs direto positivo. Grupo 2 - Recem-nascidos Rh positivo e Coombs direto negativo. Grupo 3 - Recemnascidos Rh negativo. Concluiu-se que os fatores com teste de Coombs direto positivo (grupo 1) apresentaram maior gravidade.Quanto menor a passagem de anticorpos da mae ao concepto, menor a gravidade

Isoimunizacao feto-materna. IV. Mortalidade perinatal. / Feto-maternal isoimmunization. IV. Perinatal mortality

Os 66 recem-nascidos de maes sensibilizadas pelo fator Rh entre 1970 e 1977, como ja especificado em trabalho anterior, foram divididos em tres grupos: Grupo l Recem--nascidos Rh-positivo e Coombs direto positivo. Grupo 2 - Recem-nascidos Rhpositivo e Coombs direto negativo. Grupo 3 Recem nascidos Rh-negativo. No presente trabalho, analisa-se a mortalidade perinatal. Dividindo-se o periodo de estudo em etapas de 1970 a 1973 e de 1974 a 1977, pode-se notar que houve queda da mortalidade neonatal. O fato se deve provavelmente a melhor eficacia da assistencia obstetrica e pediatrica, principalmente pela melhor atencao aos fetos com hemoglobina menor que 14 g/ l00 ml e bilirrubina total maior que 5 mmg/ l00 ml. Sao esses os fetos que recebem maior quantidade de anticorpos

Pre-eclampsia. IV. Aspetos pediatricos. / Preeclampsia. IV. Pediatric aspects

Avaliaram-se 62 neonatos de 81 gestantes pre-eclampticas, divididas em 5 grupos, para as quais foram instituidos os seguintes esquemas terapeuticos: I. Repouso no leito e dieta normal. II. Repouso no leito, dieta normal e 40 mg de furosemida por dia. III. Repouso no leito, dieta hipossodica e 40 mg de furosemida por dia. IV Repouso no leito, dieta hipossodica, 40 mg de furosemida por dia e 750 mg de metildopa por dia. V. Repouso no leito e hiperidratacao.Foram considerados pre-eclampticas as pacientes que apresentavam niveis tensionais maiores que 140/90 mmHg, mais edema e proteinuria. Observou-se um indice de mortalidade perinatal 3,86 vezes maior que o habitual e nao houve diferenca significativa na mortalidade de perinatal entre os grupos de tratamento