Comparison between fascia lata and rectus fascia in treatment of pelvic organ prolapse: a systematic review.

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this systematic review is to present and compare results from studies that have been using autologous tissue for POP repair. METHODS: Systematic review was done according to the Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews. We aimed to retrieve reports of published and ongoing studies on the efficacy and safety of autologous tissue in vaginal vault prolapse repair. The databases searched were MEDLINE (PubMed interface), Scopus, Cohrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL) and ClinicalTrials.gov. RESULTS: The success rate varied among studies. In fascia-lata group success rate reports varied from 83 to a 100%, with a median follow-up from 12 to 52 months among studies. Rectus fascia reported success rates from 87 to a 100% with a follow-up of 12 months to longest of 98 months. CONCLUSION: Autologous tissues show satisfying outcomes in terms of safety and efficacy. Sacrocolpopexy procedure with fascia lata has better outcome in term of treatment of prolapse. Harvesting place on lateral side of buttock has more complications in comparison with rectus fascia but size of the graft can be wider in fascia-lata group.

Retrospective analysis between total laparoscopic and vNOTES hysterectomy in obese patients: single-center study.

INTRODUCTION: Hysterectomy is one of the most common major gynecological surgeries, and it is performed for benign and malignant reasons. Currently, five types of hysterectomies are described: vaginal (VH), abdominal (AH), laparoscopic (LH), robotic, and vNOTES (vaginal natural orifice transluminal endoscopic surgery). This paper compares these two types of surgery in obese patients by analyzing the surgeries performed by our team. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The research was conducted from January 2022 to December 2023 at the Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics of the General Hospital in Zadar. The study included female patients aged 18-75 years with a BMI > 30 kg/m2, regardless of parity, who were operated on for benign pathology. RESULTS: There were 24 patients included in total. One conversion was observed in the TLH group because of excessive bleeding. Median operative time (IQR) was significantly lower in the vNOTES group (p < 0.05) than in the TLH group 35 (10.9) vs 125 (74.0) min. CONCLUSION: The results concerning the duration of surgery, conversion rate, and postoperative bleeding and complications show that vNOTES hysterectomies seem to be feasible for obese patients. Further studies are needed to confirm these observations.

vNOTES surgical staging for endometrial carcinoma in overweight patients: a case series.

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study is to show the feasibility and surgical outcome of vNOTES retroperitoneal dissection and isolation of sentinel lymph nodes in overweight and obese patients with endometrial cancer. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Four patients had undergone pelvic lymphadenectomy with a sentinel lymph node. Three patients were overweight, and one was obese with a BMI of 34.6 kg/m2. By using NMR mode sentinel lymph node was visualized, excised and marked separately for pathohistological analysis from the rest of the visualized lymph nodes that were then consecutively excised. RESULTS: The mean number of overall excised lymph nodes was 12.5, and the mean number on the right side was 5.75 and 6.25 on the left side. There were no metastases verified in the pathohistological evaluation. CONCLUSION: vNOTES retroperitoneal isolation of sentinel lymph nodes is good alternative and has its benefits, especially in overweight and obese patients with satisfying low intra- and postoperative complications.

MAGE-A10 Protein Expression in Advanced High Grade Serous Ovarian Cancer Is Associated with Resistance to First-Line Platinum-Based Chemotherapy.

Ovarian cancer has a dismal prognosis. Standard treatment following surgery relies on platinum-based chemotherapy. However, sizeable percentages of patients are unresponsive. Identification of markers predicting the response to chemotherapy might help select eligible patients and spare non-responding patients from treatment-associated toxicity. Cancer/testis antigens (CTAs) are expressed by healthy germ cells and malignant cells of diverse histological origin. This expression profile identifies them as attractive targets for cancer immunotherapies. We analyzed the correlations between expression of MAGE-A10 and New York esophageal-1 cancer (NY-ESO-1) CTAs at the protein level and the effectiveness of platinum-based chemotherapy in patients with advanced-stage high-grade serous ovarian carcinoma (HGSOC). MAGE-A10 and NY-ESO-1 protein expression was analyzed by immunohistochemistry (IHC) in formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded samples from 93 patients with advanced-stage HGSOC treated at our institutions between January 1996 and December 2013. The correlation between the expression of these markers and response to platinum-based chemotherapy, evaluated according to RECIST 1.1 criteria and platinum sensitivity, measured as platinum-free interval (PFI), progression free (PFS), and overall survival (OS) was explored. The MAGE-A10 protein expression predicted unresponsiveness to platinum-based chemotherapy (p = 0.005), poor platinum sensitivity (p < 0.001), poor PFS (p < 0.001), and OS (p < 0.001). Multivariate analysis identified MAGE-A10 protein expression as an independent predictor of poor platinum sensitivity (p = 0.005) and shorter OS (p < 0.001). Instead, no correlation was observed between the NY-ESO-1 protein expression and response to platinum-based chemotherapy (p = 0.832), platinum sensitivity (p = 0.168), PFS (p = 0.126), and OS (p = 0.335). The MAGE-A10 protein expression reliably identified advanced-stage HGSOC unresponsive to platinum-based chemotherapy. Targeted immunotherapy could represent an important alternative therapeutic option in these cancers.

Rectal prolapse as the initial presentation of rectal cancer-A case report.

Herein we report the case of a 63-year-old female tourist who presented to our Emergency Department with complete rectal prolapse. She had complained of diarrhea with traces of blood and mucus and had experienced fatigue after hiking. After the initial evaluation, it became clear that prolapse bares a large rectal tumor as a leading point. The prolapse was reduced under general anesthesia, along with a tumor biopsy. Further workup confirmed locally advanced adenocarcinoma of the rectum, which was treated with neoadjuvant chemoradiation followed by curative surgery in another hospital after repatriation. Rectal prolapse affects people of all ages, but it is more common in older adults, particularly women. Treatment options vary depending on the severity of the prolapse and can range from conservative measures to surgical interventions. This case report highlights the importance of early recognition and appropriate management of rectal prolapse in the emergency setting and the possibility of an underlying malignancy.

Posterior rectus fascia prolapse (PREFAP) repair: a new native tissue approach to pelvic organ prolapse via vaginal natural orifice transluminal endoscopic surgery.

INTRODUCTION: Pelvic organ prolapse (POP) is a common condition in women. During lifetime, up to 40% of all women will develop (POP). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Between June and December 2021, five patients were successfully treated via vNOTES Posterior Rectus Fascia Prolapse ( PREFAP) repair. No intra-operative complications or conversions occurred. CONCLUSION: In this study we demonstrated a new technique for prolapse repair, harvesting the autologous posterior rectus fascia sheath via vaginal natural orifice transluminal endoscopic surgery (vNOTES) as an alternative for a synthetic mesh.

Comparison end-to-end anastomosis with ostomy after secondary surgical cytoreduction for recurrent high-grade serous ovarian cancer: observational single-center study.

We conducted an observational single-center cohort study on patients with recurrent high-grade serous ovarian carcinoma that underwent secondary surgical cytoreduction with extent of partial ileectomy and/or colectomy, followed by adjuvant chemotherapy (Paclitaxel-Carboplatin). All patients performed previously primary debulking surgery without residual disease, followed by three cycles of adjuvant chemotherapy. The aim of this study was to compare survival in patients with ostomy or end-to-end anastomosis that underwent secondary cytoreduction. Furthermore, we investigated the morbidity, the rate, timing and complications of the ostomy or end-to-end anastomosis after secondary cyto-reduction.

The short form endometriosis health profile questionnaire (EHP-5): psychometric validity assessment of a Croatian version.

PURPOSE: To translate, adapt and validate the Endometriosis Health Profile-5 (EHP-5) in Croatian population. METHODS: This validation study is a part of a prospective, observational study (EHP-5 CRO) with aim of implementation of EHP-5 and to provide better insight in quality of life consideration of women with endometriosis in Croatian clinical practice. A 150 consecutive patients with surgically proven endometriosis were enrolled. The translation to Croatian followed standardized procedure. Cronbach's Alpha was calculated to calculate internal consistency reliability of EHP-5. The test-retest reliability was calculated using intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC). The t test for independent samples was used to assess known-groups validity. RESULTS: Both EHP-5 core and EHP-5 modular parts of the questionnaire had good internal consistency, assessed by the Cronbach's Alpha coefficient (α = 0.793 and α = 0.842, respectively). Obtained results indicate very good reliability for core as well as for modular part of EHP-5 questionnaire (ICC = 0.896 and 0.936, respectively). The independent t test showed that women who reported their pain with VAS scale 7 or more had significantly higher results (p < 0.001) on EHP-5 (M = 50.63) compared with women who reported their pain 6 or less (M = 26.91). Furthermore, we found statistically significant difference between women who are infertile with women who are fertile (p < 0.001), whereby infertile women had higher average result on EHP-5 (M = 49.55) compared with fertile women (M = 34.36). CONCLUSIONS: The Croatian version of the EHP-5 have very good psychometric characteristics and can be used as a reliable tool for assessing patients with endometriosis in everyday clinical practice.

Unusual Case Presentation of Genital Herpes.

INTRODUCTION Genital herpes is the most common sexually transmitted disease and is most commonly caused by herpes simplex virus -2 (HSV2) which is usually sexually transmitted (1). We report a case of a 28-year-old woman with an unusual case of HSV presentation that rapidly resulted in necrosis and rupturing of the labia less than 48 hours after first appearance of symptoms. CASE PRESENTATION We report the case of a 28-year-old female patient who presented to our clinic with painful necrotic ulcers of both labia minora, urinary retention, and extreme discomfort (Figure 1). The patient reported unprotected sexual intercourse a few days prior to the pain and burning sensation and swelling of the vulva. A urinary catheter was inserted immediately due to intense burning and pain while urinating. The vagina and cervix were covered with ulcerated and crustal lesions. The Tzanck smear test showed multinucleated giant cells, and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) analyses were conclusive for HSV infection, while syphilis, hepatitis, and HIV tests were negative. Since there was progression of the labial necrosis and the patient became febrile two days after admission, we performed debridement twice under systemic anesthesia, and the patient receive systemic antibiotic together with acyclovir. On the follow-up visit, four weeks later, both labia had epithelized completely. DISCUSSION In primary genital herpes, after a short incubation period, multiple bilaterally located papules, vesicles, painful ulcers, and crusts appear, which resolve over a period of 15 to 21 days (2). Clinically atypical presentations include either unusual sites or atypical morphological forms of genital disease, exophytic (verrucoid or nodular) superficially ulcerated lesions, mostly seen in patients with HIV, fissures, localized recurrent erythema, nonhealing ulcers, and burning sensation in the vulva in a patient with lichen sclerosus (1). This patient was discussed in our multidisciplinary team, as we know that ulcerations could be associated with rare malignant vulvar pathology (3). The golden standard for diagnosis is PCR from the lesion (1). Antiviral therapy should be initiated within 72 hours of primary infection and continued for 7 to 10 days. CONCLUSION The process of removing nonviable tissue is called debridement. Debridement is only necessary when a herpetic ulceration is not healing on its own, which is when necrotic tissue that can harbor bacteria that may cause more extensive infections is formed. Removing the necrotic tissue speeds up healing and reduces the risk of further complications.

Validation of the UDI-6 and the ICIQ-UI SF - Croatian version.

INTRODUCTION AND HYPOTHESIS: Despite the widespread use of UDI-6 and ICIQ-UI SF in Croatia, it remains unknown whether a realiable and valid measure for the population of interest is used. Thus, the aim of this study was to translate, adapt and validate the UDI-6 and the ICIQ-UI SF in Croatia. METHODS: The study included a total of 232 consecutive patients with urinary incontinence symptoms. The translation to Croatian followed standardized procedure. All participants underwent urodynamic assesment and completed UDI-6 and ICIQ-UI SF questionnaires at inclusion and 2 weeks after to assess test-retest reliability. Cronbach α coefficient was calculated in order to assess internal consistency. RESULTS: Both questionnaires had high internal consistency (Cronbach α for UDI-6 and ICIQ-UI SF was .83 and .85, respectively) and high test-retest reliability (intraclass correlation coefficient .99 for instruments). Strong correlation was found between urodynamic findings and total scores in UDI-6 and ICIQ-UI SF (ρ = 0.88 and 0.89, respectively). Women with stress urinary incontinence (SUI) and detrusor overactivity (DOA) group had significantly higher scores on UDI-6 (Mdn = 33.33 and Mdn = 50, respectively) compared to women with no urodynamic abnormality (Mdn = 0; p < 0.001). Women with no urodynamic abnormality scored significantly lower on ICIQ-UI SF (Mdn = 0; p < 0.001) compared to women with SUI (Mdn = 14) and DOA (Mdn = 16). Women with DOA scored worse on Irritative and Obstructive symptoms when comparing with two other groups (p < 0.001), while women with SUI had significantly worse score on Stress symptoms subscale (p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: The UDI-6 and ICIQ-UI SF have very good psychometric characteristics and can be used in Croatian urogynecology practice.

Desmoplastic Small Round Cell Tumor of the Ovary: A Case Report with a New Modality of Treatment and Review of the Literature.

OBJECTIVE: Desmoplastic small round cell tumor (DSRCT) is a rare intraabdominal neoplasm that grows along serosal surfaces and is primarily found in young men. To date, only 16 cases of ovarian DSRCT have been previously reported in women in the English literature, and no large population-based studies on this topic exist. CASE REPORT: We report the case of a 19-year-old virgo with unremarkable past medical history, initially presented with abdominal fullness. After being treated with the optimal treatment modality (primary and secondary surgical debulking, unique chemotherapy, protocol and adjuvant radiotherapy), the patient has remained without tumor disease for 40 months. CONCLUSION: Although the best therapy for patients with DSRCT has yet to be determined, combining complete surgical resection, adjuvant chemotherapy, and radiotherapy is required to prolong survival and to achieve proper quality of life.

Desmoplastic small round cell tumor of the ovary: A case report with a new modality of treatment and review of the literature

Abstract Objective Desmoplastic small round cell tumor (DSRCT) is a rare intraabdominal neoplasm that grows along serosal surfaces and is primarily found in young men. To Keywords date, only 16 cases of ovarian DSRCT have been previously reported in women in the English literature, and no large population-based studies on this topic exist. Case Report We report the case of a 19-year-old virgo with unremarkable past medical history, initially presented with abdominal fullness. After being treated with the optimal treatment modality (primary and secondary surgical debulking, unique chemotherapy, protocol and adjuvant radiotherapy), the patient has remained without tumor disease for 40 months. Conclusion Although the best therapy for patients with DSRCT has yet to be determined, combining complete surgical resection, adjuvant chemotherapy, and radiotherapy is required to prolong survival and to achieve proper quality of life.

Fertility-sparing surgery for patients with malignant ovarian germ cell tumors: 10 years of clinical experience from a tertiary referral center.

PURPOSE: To describe a case series of patients with malignant ovarian germ cell tumors (MOGCT) treated exclusively with fertility-sparing surgery (FSS) with or without adjuvant chemotherapy. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed the records of 27 patients with MOGCT treated in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University Hospital Center Zagreb, Croatia, between January 2009 and July 2019. RESULTS: The median age at diagnosis was 22 years, and the main symptom was abdominal distension (57.0%). The most prevalent histological subtype was immature teratoma (n = 13, 48.1%). Twenty-three patients (85.2%) had laparotomy and 4 (14.8%) had laparoscopy, without conversions. Lymphadenectomy was performed in 16 (59.3%) patients, with 184 removed lymph nodes, and omentectomy was performed in 19 (70.4%) patients. The rate of chemotherapy administration was 81.5%. The follow-up length ranged between 6.30 and 115.1 months (median: 49.60 months). No patient experienced tumor recurrence. The rate of complete gross resection was 100%. At the time of analysis, all patients were alive and disease free. Fifty percent of patients who actively tried to conceive after FSS became pregnant, with 12 deliveries. CONCLUSION: This study suggests that FSS is a safe treatment option for MOGCT, regardless of tumor stage and histological type.

THE IMPACT OF ANTIEPILEPTIC TREATMENT IN PREGNANCY ON PERINATAL OUTCOME IN CROATIA - A SINGLE-CENTER STUDY.

Pregnancy can alter the natural course of epilepsy and affect pharmacokinetic profile of antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) making therapeutic management more demanding. Since there is no relevant population-based study in Croatia to date, we conducted this research with the aim to observe antiepileptic treatment policy in pregnancy and to determine if the number of AEDs affects pregnancy outcomes. The study included all women with epilepsy with singleton pregnancy exposed to one or more AEDs divided into two groups (group 1: one AED and group 2: more than one AED used). Data were collected retrospectively at the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Zagreb University Hospital Centre, Zagreb, Croatia, and included 153 women from January 2010 to December 2018. Primary outcomes included rates of preterm delivery, major fetal malformations, gestational hypertension, cesarean section rate, and appearance of seizures during pregnancy. We found higher rates of all pregnancy complications examined than in the general population, while comparison of the two study groups yielded significant differences. Preterm labor was detected in 30% of deliveries in polytherapy group compared to 16.6% in monotherapy group (p=0.03). Gestational hypertension was recorded in 20% of women in polytherapy group vs. 4.90% in monotherapy group (p=0.009). There was also a high rate of cesarean deliveries in polytherapy group (27.5%). Seizures during pregnancy occurred in 48.4% of patients in polytherapy group, which was significantly higher than the rate recorded in monotherapy group (p=0.015). In this single-center retrospective study, women with epilepsy using AEDs during pregnancy had a higher rate of gestational hypertension and preterm delivery than the general population of pregnant women. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study in Croatia observing antiepileptic treatment policy in pregnancy with regards to AED regimen and perinatal outcome.

Morbidity of multiple bowel resection compared to single bowel resection after debulking surgery for ovarian cancer.

OBJECTIVES: To assess the impact of multiple bowel resections on postoperative outcomes in stage IIIC-IV ovarian cancer (OC). METHODS: From the Oxford OC database we retrieved consecutive patients who underwent bowel resection between January 2009 and November 2017. Patients were divided into two groups: single bowel resection (SBR) and MBR (≥2 bowel resections). The following outcomes were compared between the two groups: 30-day related and not related morbidity to bowel surgery, bowel diversion rate and time to start/restart adjuvant chemotherapy. RESULTS: Thirty-five patients were in the MBR and 146 in the SBR group. The 30-day overall surgical-related complication and bowel specific complications rate was higher in MBR group than SBR group (54.3% vs. 23.9%, p < 0.001) and (25.7% vs. 10.5%, p = 0.035), respectively. The rate of bowel diversion was 97.7% in MBR vs. 26.7% in the SBR group (p = 0.021). Trend analysis showed a significant reduction in the rate of MBR after the introduction of NACT (p- for trend <0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Our data show that MBR during OC surgery is associated with a higher rate of overall and bowel specific complication compared to SBR. The introduction of NACT is associated with a reduced rate of MBR.