Appendectomy in endometriosis: an update on surgical indications and management of uncommon diseases.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Abnormal appendiceal disease is commonly encountered following an appendectomy when performed in patients with endometriosis. Appendiceal endometriosis is the most notable finding and can affect up to 39% of patients with endometriosis. Despite this knowledge, guidelines for performing an appendectomy have not been formally established. In this article, we review the surgical indications for an appendectomy at the time of endometriosis surgery and discuss the management of other diseases that may be encountered following the histopathologic evaluation of an excised appendix. RECENT FINDINGS: Removal of the appendix in patients with endometriosis contributes to optimal surgical management. Relying on abnormal appendiceal appearance for removal may leave endometriosis-affected appendices. For this reason, utilizing risk factors to guide surgical management is essential. Common appendiceal diseases are sufficiently managed with appendectomy. Uncommon diseases may require further surveillance. SUMMARY: Emerging data in our field support the performance of an appendectomy at the time of endometriosis surgery. Guidelines for performing a concurrent appendectomy should be formalized to encourage preoperative counselling and management for patients with risk factors for appendiceal endometriosis. Abnormal diseases is frequently encountered after appendectomy in the setting of endometriosis surgery and further management is based on the histopathology of the specimen.

A 33-Year-Old Woman in the Third Trimester of Pregnancy Diagnosed with Advanced-Staged Squamous Cell Cervical Carcinoma by Magnetic Resonance Imaging and Biopsy.

BACKGROUND Cervical cancer is the most common gynecologic malignancy diagnosed in pregnancy. When cervical cancer is diagnosed late in pregnancy, pelvic lymphadenectomy is avoided. Advanced imaging adds an alternative way to assess nodal involvement. The aim of this case report is to demonstrate how magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) can contribute to the clinical staging of cervical cancer and inform treatment decisions when diagnosis is made late in pregnancy. We report the case of a woman in the third trimester who was diagnosed with advanced-stage squamous cell cervical carcinoma by MRI and biopsy. CASE REPORT A 33-year-old woman at 33 weeks of gestation was admitted to our hospital for recurrent vaginal bleeding. Examination revealed a large cervical mass. A gynecologic oncologist was consulted, an examination under anesthesia was performed, and cervical biopsy samples were obtained. Pathology results revealed squamous cell carcinoma of the cervix. A clinical stage of IB3 was assumed. MRI revealed a 5.2×5.8-cm cervical mass and an enlarged left pelvic lymph node. These findings upstaged the patient to IIIC1. Instead of undergoing a radical cesarean hysterectomy, the patient had a cesarean delivery and pelvic lymph node dissection. Four weeks later, she began chemotherapy and pelvic radiation. CONCLUSIONS There is significant value in advanced imaging for cervical cancer staging. This is especially relevant in pregnancy, where the under-staging of disease is a concern. This case report demonstrates the value of MRI in cervical cancer staging, particularly in pregnant women, in whom treatment and the timing of treatment should be individualized.

Prevention and management of bowel injury during gynecologic laparoscopy: an update.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: The current article aims to briefly review recent literature on bowel injury in gynecologic surgery with a focus on minimally invasive techniques, strategies for prevention, and management of injury. RECENT FINDINGS: Recent reviews describe a low incidence of bowel injury that is likely affected by low rates of reporting and inconsistent definitions. The major risk factor for bowel injury is adhesive disease, and assessment and prevention techniques for the presence of adhesive disease are evolving. When bowel injury occurs, prompt diagnosis and intraoperative repair yields more favorable outcomes than delayed diagnosis. Repair can be performed by a gynecologic surgeon, with or without the help of a consultant depending on the extent of the injury and surgeon comfort. SUMMARY: Bowel injury is a potentially catastrophic complication in gynecologic surgery, but its rarity presents a challenge in research. A high index of suspicion and meticulous surgical technique are the cornerstones of managing a bowel injury.

Alterations of elastin in female reproductive tissues arising from advancing parity.

Female reproductive tissues undergo significant alterations during pregnancy, which may compromise the structural integrity of extracellular matrix proteins. Here, we report on modifications of elastic fibers, which are primarily composed of elastin and believed to provide a scaffold to the reproductive tissues, due to parity and parturition. Elastic fibers from the upper vaginal wall of virgin Sprague Dawley rats were investigated and compared to rats having undergone one, three, or more than five pregnancies. Optical microscopy was used to study fiber level changes. Mass spectrometry, 13C and 2H NMR, was applied to study alterations of elastin from the uterine horns. Spectrophotometry was used to measure matrix metalloproteinases-2,9 and tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase-1 concentration changes in the uterine horns. Elastic fibers were found to exhibit increase in tortuosity and fragmentation with increased pregnancies. Surprisingly, secondary structure, dynamics, and crosslinking of elastin from multiparous cohorts appear similar to healthy mammalian tissues, despite fragmentation observed at the fiber level. In contrast, elastic fibers from virgin and single pregnancy cohorts are less fragmented and comprised of elastin exhibiting structure and dynamics distinguishable from multiparous groups, with reduced crosslinking. These alterations were correlated to matrix metalloproteinases-2,9 and tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase-1 concentrations. This work indicates that fiber level alterations resulting from pregnancy and/or parturition, such as fragmentation, rather than secondary structure (e.g. elastin crosslinking density), appear to govern scaffolding characteristics in the female reproductive tissues.

Pregnancy-Induced Dynamical and Structural Changes of Reproductive Tract Collagen.

The tissues and organs of the female reproductive tract and pelvic floor undergo significant remodeling and alterations to allow for fetal growth and birth. In this work, we report on a study of the alterations of murine reproductive tract collagen resulting from pregnancy and parturition by spectrophotometry, histology, and (13)C, (2)H nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR). Four different cohorts of rats were investigated that included virgin, multiparous, two- and fourteen-day postpartum primiparous rats. (13)C CPMAS NMR revealed small chemical shift differences across the cohorts. The measured H-C internuclear correlation times indicated differences in dynamics of some motifs. However, the dynamics of the major amino acids, e.g., Gly, remained unaltered with respect to parity. (2)H NMR relaxation measurements revealed an additional water reservoir in the postpartum and multiparous cohorts pointing to redistribution of water due to pregnancy and/or parturition. Spectrophotometric measurements indicated that the collagen content in virgin rats was highest. Histological analysis of the upper vaginal wall indicated a signature of collagen fiber dissociation with smooth muscle and a change in the density of collagen fibers in multiparous rats.

The role of mode of delivery on elastic fiber architecture and vaginal vault elasticity: a rodent model study.

We report on an experimental study of the role of mode of delivery and pregnancy on the architecture of vaginal elastic fibers and vaginal vault elasticity in female Sprague-Dawley rats. In primiparous rats submitted to spontaneous or Cesarean delivery and virgin rats submitted to simulated delivery, the tortuosity of elastic fibers (defined as the ratio of length to end-to-end distance) was observed to decrease when measured from two days to two weeks postpartum. In addition, the measured tortuosity of elastic fibers in multiparous rats was greater than that of virgin rats. The tortuosity of elastic fibers of all rats measured at two days postpartum was found to be similar to that of multiparous rats. At two weeks postpartum the measured tortuosity of vaginal elastic fibers was indistinguishable from virgin rats, regardless of the delivery method. Borrowing from the field of polymer physics, a model is suggested that connects elastic fiber tortuosity to the resulting tension under an applied stress; fibers having high tortuosity are expected to provide less structural support than more linear, low tortuosity fibers. To probe the macroscopic effects in elasticity due to architectural changes observed in elastic fibers, we have measured the stiffness of the vaginal vault in each cohort using a pressure-infusion system. The vaginal vault stiffness of all primiparous rats measured two weeks postpartum was greater than that measured two days postpartum. In addition, the vaginal vault of virgin rats was stiffer than that of multiparous rats. These observations confirmed that vaginal vault elastic fibers undergo significant remodeling due to pregnancy and parturition, and that the complex remodeling may be a significant contributor to tissue elasticity. Remarkably, regardless of the mode of delivery or simulated tissue trauma, elastic fiber tortuosity is observed to decrease from two days to two weeks postpartum indicating the onset of repair and recovery of tissue stiffness.

Uterine prolapse: from antiquity to today.

Uterine prolapse is a condition that has likely affected women for all of time as it is documented in the oldest medical literature. By looking at the watershed moments in its recorded history we are able to appreciate the evolution of urogynecology and to gain perspective on the challenges faced by today's female pelvic medicine and reconstructive surgeons in their attempts to treat uterine and vaginal vault prolapse."He who cannot render an account to himself of at least three thousand years of time, will always grope in the darkness of inexperience"-Goethe, Translation of Panebaker.

Vertebral osteomyelitis and epidural abscess after laparoscopic uterus-preserving cervicosacropexy.

Abdominal sacrocolpopexy is a standard surgical technique to repair apical vaginal prolapse. When approached laparoscopically, a uterus-preserving technique was suggested as potentially favorable for avoiding mesh-related complications. A 52-year-old Caucasian woman came to the emergency department with right-sided low back pain and vaginal discharge more than 1 year after undergoing a laparoscopic, uterus-preserving, cervicosacropexy with Mersilene (Ethicon Inc., Somerville, NJ) mesh and permanent Gore-Tex (W.L. Gore and Associates, Inc., Flagstaff, AZ) suture. Lumbar spine magnetic resonance imaging revealed diskitis and an epidural abscess at the L5 to S1 vertebral levels, and a fistulous tract was identified extending from the rectovaginal space to the affected vertebrae. The patient underwent a fine-needle aspiration of the epidural abscess and intravenous antibiotic therapy was started. However, because of a lack of symptom resolution she was taken to the operating department on hospital day 11 and underwent a total abdominal hysterectomy, left salpingectomy, right salpingo-oophorectomy, bilateral ureterolysis, and excision of an infected Mersilene mesh. Surgical findings were notable for 2 pinpoint areas in the upper vagina consistent with fistulae tracts communicating with the retroperitoneal space. The patient recovered well from her surgery, and was discharged to a rehabilitation facility. Vertebral osteomyelitis, with or without an epidural abscess, is a rare complication of sacrocolpopexy. The findings of this case suggest this complication likely occurred as a result of a permanent suture being placed entirely (or nearly entirely) through the vaginal mucosa resulting in fistulae formation, bacterial seeding of the Mersilene mesh, and subsequent osteomyelitis. This highlights the importance of mesh and suture selection, and determining the most appropriate sites for mesh attachment.

Racial differences in pelvic floor muscle thickness in asymptomatic nulliparas as seen on magnetic resonance imaging-based three-dimensional color thickness mapping.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of the study was to compare levator and obturator thickness between asymptomatic black and white nulliparas using three-dimensional (3D) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) color mapping. STUDY DESIGN: 3D color-mapped MRI of pelvic muscles were evaluated in 22 similar nulliparas (12 black, 10 white). Levator and obturator (OI) were divided into right and left. Levator was subdivided into puborectalis (PR) and ileococcygeus (IC) portions. Maximal thickness of each muscle was recorded and compared between groups. Nonparametric testing was applied, with significance at P = .05. RESULTS: Levator thickness was significantly greater in blacks bilaterally (median right PR, 8.5 vs 6.0 mm; P = .001; right IC, 6.5 vs 4.5 mm; P = .002; left PR, 9.5 vs 5.75 mm; P = .0002; left IC, 6.5 vs 5.75 mm; P = .02). Obturator thicknesses were similar (right OI, 20.0 vs 19.5 mm; left OI, 19.25 vs 19.25 mm; P = NS). CONCLUSION: Significantly thicker levators but similar obturators were seen in black nulliparas, compared with white nulliparas. These levator differences may influence pelvic floor dysfunction risk. The clinical significance of these findings is under study.