Axillary staging for breast cancer during pregnancy: feasibility and safety of sentinel lymph node biopsy.

BACKGROUND: Safety of sentinel lymph node (SLN) biopsy for breast cancer during pregnancy is insufficiently explored. We investigated efficacy and local recurrence rate in a large series of pregnant patients. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Women diagnosed with breast cancer who underwent SLN biopsy during pregnancy were identified from the International Network on Cancer, Infertility and Pregnancy, the German Breast Group, and the Cancer and Pregnancy Registry. Chart review was performed to record technique and outcome of SLN biopsy, locoregional and distant recurrence, and survival. RESULTS: We identified 145 women with clinically N0 disease who underwent SLN during pregnancy. The SLN detection techniques were as follows: 99mTc-labeled albumin nanocolloid only (n = 96; 66.2%), blue dye only (n = 14; 9.7%), combined technique (n = 15; 10.3%), or unknown (n = 20; 13.8%). Mapping was unsuccessful in one patient (0.7%) and she underwent an axillary lymph node dissection (ALND). Mean number of SLNs was 3.2 (interquartile range 1-3; missing n = 15). Positive SLNs were found in 43 (29.7%) patients and 34 subsequently underwent ALND. After a median follow-up of 48 months (range 1-177), 123 (84.8%) patients were alive and free of disease. Eleven patients experienced a locoregional relapse, including 1 isolated ipsilateral axillary recurrence (0.7%). Eleven (7.6%) patients developed distant metastases, of whom 9 (6.2%) died of breast cancer. No neonatal adverse events related to SLN procedure during pregnancy were reported. CONCLUSIONS: SLN biopsy during pregnancy has a comparably low axillary recurrence rate as in nonpregnant women. Therefore, this method can be considered during pregnancy instead of standard ALND for early-stage, clinically node-negative breast cancer.

Vaginal foreign body in the pediatric patient: A systematic review.

BACKGROUND: Vaginal foreign bodies represent a clinical and diagnostical challenge in pediatric gynecology. Several case reports, case series and retrospective studies have been published, highlighting rare or complex cases. A comprehensive systematic review is lacking. METHODS: Published English-language articles on vaginal foreign objects in patients aged 16 years and younger, with full-text availability were included. Articles on adult patients and patients with an object migrating from the abdominal cavity into the vagina were excluded. RESULTS: Out of the 215 screened articles 75 were included, comprising a total of 522 patients. The age ranged from 6 months to 16 years, with an average of 6 years and 3 months. The presenting symptoms were documented in 340 patients, with the two most common being vaginal bleeding (n = 172) and vaginal discharge (n = 134). Toilet paper or tissue was the most common object, in 155 out of 447 patients. Ultrasonography was the most utilized diagnostic method, with a sensitivity of 79.9 %. Radiography showed more false-negative than true-positive results, with a sensitivity of 33.3 %. Complications were reported in 35 patients. Evidence of sexual abuse was found in a small group of 16 patients. Vaginoscopy under sedation was the most frequently used therapeutic approach. CONCLUSION: A swift and accurate diagnosis is crucial, with clinical examination and ultrasonography playing pivotal roles. Vaginoscopy is the gold standard for definitive diagnosis and therapy. Attention should be given to a potential context of sexual abuse.

Intrauterine device (IUD) migration in cesarean delivery scar: What to do with the niche?

BACKGROUND: The presence of a niche after cesarean section is a common and mostly asymptomatic finding. However, it can cause symptoms or result in impaired fertility or obstetric complications in following pregnancies. At present there is no uniform consensus on when to treat and which way of repair is most suitable. The aim of this systematic review of literature was to provide an overview of current knowledge about cesarean scar niches and about the modalities of niche repair. METHODS: On the second of January 2019 Pubmed and Cochrane databases were searched for relevant studies published until December 2018. Search terms were cesarean scar defect, niche, niche repair. As combination key words `hysteroscopy ´, `laparoscopy ´ and `vaginal repair ´ were used. RESULTS: Eight articles were included in this review. The publications were very heterogeneous. Most of them stated that hysteroscopic niche repair with resection of the lower (and upper) rim is suggested for abnormal uterine bleeding. In symptomatic women who wish to conceive, different authors suggest laparoscopic niche repair with double layer closure to increase myometrial thickness. Also, one report on vaginal repair was included, none of the included patients had child wish. Nothing was reported on residual myometrial thickness after surgery. CONCLUSION: The current literature is not sufficient to draw strong conclusions on what to do about cesarean scar niches, yet, they justify the role of hysteroscopic as well as laparoscopic niche repair dependent on different pre- operative factors. We conclude that further large randomized controlled trials are necessary.

The prognostic value of perifollicular blood flow in the outcome after assisted reproduction: a systematic review.

BACKGROUND: The overall final outcome of assisted reproductive technologies (ART) is still more often a failure than a success. Assessing perifollicular blood flow (PFBF) is one technique to predict and possibly improve this outcome. The aim was to provide a structured review of studies concerning PFBF and its prognostic value in patients undergoing ART, including IUI (intrauterine insemination). METHODS: PUBMED, EMBASE and Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews were searched for relevant studies published until December 2016. As key words 'Perifollicular blood flow', 'IUI', 'IVF' and 'ICSI' were used. RESULTS: A total of 14 articles were included in the current review. The results are very heterogeneous, though there is evidence that measuring PFBF could be a good prognostic marker for oocyte and embryo quality, but even more for pregnancy rate after IVF/ICSI. This finding is not observed in studies concerning IUI. CONCLUSIONS: Our results highlight an urgent need to investigate the role for PFBF assessment by Power Doppler in ART in randomised controlled trials.

Influence of BMI and smoking on IUI outcome with partner and donor sperm.

There is limited literature on the influence of smoking and BMI on success rates after intrauterine insemination (IUI). As a result of a prospective cohort study we could investigate data from 1401 IUI cycles with partner semen and 1264 IUI cycles with donor semen, primary outcome being clinical pregnancy rate (CPR). Univariate statistical analysis showed significant influence of female BMI on clinical pregnancy in the partner insemination group (CPR of 6,5%, 8%, 16,3% and 9,4% for a female BMI < 20, 20-24.9, 25-29.9 and 3 30, p=0.032), while in the donor group this in uence was not signi cant (CPR respectively 11.1% (BMI< 20), 18.5% (20-24.9), 18.0% (25-29.9) and 14.7% for BMI 3 30). Multivariate analysis through generalized estimating equations (GEE) could not confirm this significant influence of female BMI on fecundity in the partner semen group. For smoking, univariate statistical analysis revealed male smoking to be a negative influence for the clinical pregnancy rate in the partner insemination group (10.9% CPR in couples with male non-smokers versus 5.9% with male partners smoking 1-14 cig/day, p=0.017). After multivariate GEE analysis this result remained significant (p< 0,01). In the donor semen group female non-smoking or smoking less than 15 cigarettes a day turned out to be significantly associated with a higher CPR compared to women smoking more than 15 cigarettes daily (16.8% and 24.5% versus 5.6%, p=0,01). These results were also significant after multivariate GEE analysis (p= 0,047 and p= 0,02).