[A more and more painful intrauterine device where it is not enough to see the wires to exclude malposition!]. / Un stérilet qui fait de plus en plus mal où il ne suffit pas d'en voir les fils pour exclure une malposition !

We report a case of a 30-year-old woman with an intrauterine device (IUD) improperly inserted deep within the myometrium, with a muscularis layer injury of the recto-sigmoid colon resulting of a uterine perforation and presented as abdomino-pelvic pain and dyspareunia. The ultrasonographic control of the IUD after the insertion (performed seven months before) was not checked. Cervical examination showed the strings of the IUD. The ultrasonographic exploration identified an intra-myometrial IUD with fundus perforation of the uterus. A laparoscopic exploration permitting the removal of the IUD revealed an insertion through the bowel wall. The lessons to draw of about this case report are discussed through a brief review of the literature.

Complications after surgery for deeply infiltrating pelvic endometriosis.

OBJECTIVE: to evaluate the complications after surgery for deep endometriosis. DESIGN: retrospective study. SETTING: data from the CHU Estaing database and patients' charts between January 1987 and December 2007. SAMPLE: all women given surgical treatment for deep endometriosis. METHODS: women who underwent surgery for deep endometriosis were reviewed for intra- and postoperative complications. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: primary outcomes were rates of intra- and postoperative complications. Complications were compared according to the procedure performed. RESULTS: a total of 568 women were included in the study, with a mean age of 32.4 years. The mean estimated diameter of the nodule felt by vaginal examination was 1.8 cm (ranging from 0.5 to 7 cm). Laparoscopic surgery was performed in 560 women (98.6%), and conversion was required in 2.3%. The mean operative time was 155 minutes. Intraoperative complications occurred in 12 women (2.1%), including six minor (1.05%) and six major (1.05%) complications. Postoperative complications developed in 79 women (13.9%), including 54 minor (9.5%) and 26 major (4.6%) complications (one woman had both minor and major postoperative complications). The overall major postoperative complication rate for women who underwent any type of rectal surgery (shaving, excision and suture, or segmental resection) was 9.3% (21 out of 226), compared with only 1.5% for the other women (five out of 342) (P < .01). Shaving presented less major postoperative complications compared with segmental resection (24 versus 6.7%; P = 0.004). CONCLUSIONS: surgery for deep endometriosis is feasible, but it is associated with major complications, especially when any type of rectal surgery must be performed.

[Imperforate hymen: one diagnosis can hide another]. / Imperforation hyménéale : un diagnostic peut en cacher un autre.

INTRODUCTION: A case of imperforate hymen discovered after a surgical complication is reported. We discuss the lessons to draw from this case in terms of diagnosis and therapeutic management. CASE REPORT: An 11-year-old girl was referred with fever and acute lower abdominal pain. A diagnosis of appendicitis was hypothesized because of rigidity located to the right iliac fossa, a psoas sign, polynuclear leukocytosis, and increased serum C-reactive protein. A McBurney laparotomy showed a brownish hemoperitoneum and a dilated right fallopian tube. The appendix appeared normal and an appendicectomy was done. A diagnosis of hematocolpos aggravated by hematometra, hematosalpinx, and hemoperitoneum was suspected. Pelvic examination revealed an imperforate hymen with a taut pelvic mass confirmed by transabdominal and endorectal ultrasonography. Hymenotomy was performed, which allowed the discharge of 400cc of chocolate-colored fluid. The history-taking revealed recurrent intermittent lower abdominal pain with several referrals to emergency departments. The patient recovered uneventfully and was discharged 2 days later. CONCLUSION: In case of acute abdominopelvic pain in pubertal girls with no previous menstruation, the possibility of an imperforate hymen must be suspected. Examination should include observation of secondary sexual characteristics and inspection of the external genitalia. Treatment is surgical and consists of a hymenotomy.

Ovarian response during IVF-embryo transfer cycles after laparoscopic ovarian cystectomy for endometriotic cysts of >3 cm in diameter.

BACKGROUND: Ovarian response during IVF cycles after laparoscopic ovarian cystectomy for endometriotic cysts >3 cm is controversial. A retrospective study was designed to study this problem. METHODS: At laparoscopy, endometriomas >3 cm were treated by ovarian cystectomy, whilst adhesions and peritoneal endometriosis were treated using conventional techniques. Ovarian stimulation was achieved with clomiphene and gonadotrophins or with gonadotrophins after a desensitization with gonadotrophin-releasing hormone agonists. Three groups of patients were retrospectively selected from an IVF-embryo transfer database: patients who underwent laparoscopic ovarian cystectomy for an endometrioma >3 cm (Group A, n = 41), patients with endometriosis without ovarian endometrioma (Group B, n = 139) and patients with tubal infertility (Group C, n = 59). RESULTS: The groups did not differ in age. In the first IVF cycle, the mean (+/- SD) numbers of oocytes and of embryos were 9.4 +/- 6.2 and 4.7 +/- 3.6 respectively in group A and 11.6 +/- 7.5 and 5.1 +/- 4.9 in group B (not significant). The results did not differ in cycles 2 and 3 or when compared according to age. No difference was found when comparing patients with endometriosis and patients with tubal infertility. CONCLUSION: The number of oocytes and embryos obtained was not significantly decreased by laparoscopic cystectomy, suggesting that in experienced hands this procedure may be a valuable surgical tool for the treatment of large ovarian endometriomas. However, great care must be taken to avoid ovarian damage.

Risk of spread of ovarian cancer after laparoscopic surgery.

The incidence of the spread of ovarian cancer after laparoscopic surgery is difficult to establish from the current literature. The prognosis incidence of a trocar site metastasis without peritoneal dissemination is not known. Data from general surgeons in prospective studies from a single institution suggested that in colon cancer the risk is low, whereas it seems to be much higher in multicentric studies of undiagnosed gallbladder cancer. Experimental studies suggested that laparoscopy has advantages and disadvantages. However, the risk of dissemination is high when a large number of malignant cells and a carbon dioxide pneumoperitoneum are present, a situation encountered when managing adnexal tumours with large vegetations. Animal studies will allow the development of a peritoneal environment adapted to the treatment of cancer. The ovary is an intraperitoneal organ and ovarian cancer a peritoneal disease, so the risk of peritoneal spread may be higher in ovarian cancer than in other gynecological cancers. A careful preoperative evaluation appears to be the best way to prevent these risks. It should also be used to choose which patient should be operated by which surgical team. The second step is a careful and cautious laparoscopic diagnosis, so that more than 98% of ovarian cancers encountered can be treated immediately and effectively. The laparoscopic management of ovarian cancer remains controversial; it should be performed only in prospective clinical trials. Until the results of such studies become available, an immediate vertical midline laparotomy remains the gold standard if a cancer is encountered.