Successful Pregnancy Outcome after Laparoscopic Cerclage in a Patient with Cervicovaginal Fistula

Obstetric fistula usually originates from obstructed labor or, less often, from invasive maneuvers on the genital tract or the pregnant uterus. Overall, it is a rare finding in the obstetric practice of high income countries. In this report we describe the case of a successful term pregnancy in a patient with a history of recurrent late miscarriage due to a large cervical fistula of traumatic origin, connecting the uterine cavity and the posterior vaginal fornix. A combined approach of laparoscopic cerclage and transvaginal fistula repair effectively restored cervical competence and created the conditions for a viable birth in a subsequent pregnancy. This unusual cause of cervical incompetence may be included in the indications which benefit from an abdominal cerclage carried out as a minimally invasive procedure in the nonpregnant state

Safety and efficacy of tranexamic acid for prevention of obstetric haemorrhage. An updated systematic review and meta-analysis

Background. A number of clinical systematic review and meta-analysis have been published on the use of tranexamic in the obstetric setting. The aim of this meta-analysis was to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of tranexamic acid in reducing blood loss when given prior to caesarean delivery. Materials and methods. We searched the Cochrane Wounds Specialized Register, Cochrane Central, MEDLINE (through PUBMED), Embase, and SCOPUS electronic databases. We also searched clinical trials registries for ongoing and unpublished studies, and checked reference lists to identify additional studies. We used no restrictions with respect to language and date of publication. Two review authors independently performed study selection, "Risk of bias" assessment, and data extraction. Initial disagreements were resolved by discussion, or by including a third review author when necessary. Results. We found 18 randomised controlled trials (RCTs) that met our inclusion criteria. Overall, 1,764 women receiving intravenous tranexamic acid for prevention of bleeding following caesarean sections and 1,793 controls receiving placebo were enrolled in the 18 RCTs evaluated. The use of tranexamic acid compared to controls (placebo or no intervention) reduces post-partum haemorrhage >400 mL (risk ratio [RR] 0.40, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.24-0.65; 5 trials with a total of 786 participants), severe post-partum haemorrhage >1,000 mL (RR 0.32, 95% CI: 0.12-0.84; 5 trials with a total of 1,850 participants), and need for red blood cell transfusion (RR 0.30, 95% CI: 0.18-0.49; 10 trials with a total of 1,873 participants). No particular safety concerns on the use of this antifibrinolytic agent emerged from the analysis of the 18 RCTs included. Discussion. Overall, the results of this meta-analysis support the evidence of a beneficial effect of tranexamic acid in reducing blood loss and need for blood transfusion in pregnant women undergoing caesarean section

Characteristics and patterns of care of endometrial cancer before and during COVID-19 pandemic

Objective: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak has correlated with the disruption of screening activities and diagnostic assessments. Endometrial cancer (EC) is one of the most common gynecological malignancies and it is often detected at an early stage, because it frequently produces symptoms. Here, we aim to investigate the impact of COVID-19 outbreak on patterns of presentation and treatment of EC patients. Methods: This is a retrospective study involving 54 centers in Italy. We evaluated patterns of presentation and treatment of EC patients before (period 1: March 1, 2019 to February 29, 2020) and during (period 2: April 1, 2020 to March 31, 2021) the COVID-19 outbreak. Results: Medical records of 5,164 EC patients have been retrieved: 2,718 and 2,446 women treated in period 1 and period 2, respectively. Surgery was the mainstay of treatment in both periods (p=0.356). Nodal assessment was omitted in 689 (27.3%) and 484 (21.2%) patients treated in period 1 and 2, respectively (p<0.001). While, the prevalence of patients undergoing sentinel node mapping (with or without backup lymphadenectomy) has increased during the COVID-19 pandemic (46.7% in period 1 vs. 52.8% in period 2; p<0.001). Overall, 1,280 (50.4%) and 1,021 (44.7%) patients had no adjuvant therapy in period 1 and 2, respectively (p<0.001). Adjuvant therapy use has increased during COVID-19 pandemic (p<0.001). Conclusion: Our data suggest that the COVID-19 pandemic had a significant impact on the characteristics and patterns of care of EC patients. These findings highlight the need to implement healthcare services during the pandemic

Practice patterns and 90-day treatment-related morbidity in early-stage cervical cancer

To evaluate the impact of the Laparoscopic Approach to Cervical Cancer (LACC) Trial on patterns of care and surgery-related morbidity in early-stage cervical cancer

Chemotherapy in Uterine Mesenchymal Tumors

Comparison between single-agent and combination chemiotherapy against uterine mesenchymal tumors. Doxorubicine for LMS and ifosfamide and cisplatin for MMT are the most effective antineoplastic drugs in single-agent chemiotherapy. Combination chemiotherapy increases response rate as well as toxicity, but the impact on survival is unclear

Convalescent Plasma for Pregnant Women with COVID-19: A Systematic Literature Review

The treatment of COVID-19 is particularly critical in pregnant women, considering the potential teratogenic effects of antiviral agents and the immune-depression related with pregnancy. The aim of this review is to systematically examine the current evidence on the clinical use of convalescent plasma during pregnancy. The electronic databases Medline PubMed Advanced Search Builder, Scopus, Web Of Science and Google Scholar were searched (until 1 January 2021). Inclusion criteria were pregnant women with COVID-19 (or SARS-CoV-2 infection), in whom convalescent plasma (or hyperimmune plasma) was used as treatment. We searched clinical trial registries (censored 5 January 2021) for eligible studies under way. After elimination of duplications, the initial search yielded 79 potentially relevant records, of which 67 were subsequently excluded. The 12 remaining records were case reports involving 12 pregnancies. Six of the mothers were reported to be well, two were reported to have preeclampsia, and in one case each the maternal outcome was described as survival, clinical improvement, discharged with oxygen and rehabilitation. With regard to the neonates, two were declared to be well, four had transient morbidity, two were critically ill and one died; normal ongoing pregnancies, but no post-delivery information, were reported for the remaining three cases. Clinical trials under way or planned to investigate the use of convalescent plasma for COVID-19 during pregnancy are lacking. This is the first systematic review of the literature regarding the treatment of COVID-19 in pregnancy. The published literature data seem to indicate that convalescent plasma administered to pregnant women with severe COVID-19 provides benefits for both the mother and the fetus. The quality of the available studies is, however, very limited since they are all case reports and thus suffer from relevant reporting bias

Trattamento del carcinoma dell\u2019endometrio: ruolo della laparoscopia

La chirurgia laparoscopica si propone come alternativa all\u2019approccio laparotomico per il trattamento del carcinoma endometriale. L\u2019analisi attuale degli studi finora effettuati risente della limitatezza degli stessi e della loro eterogeneit\ue0. In generale dai dati emerge che l\u2019approccio laparoscopico richiede un tempo medio superiore, \ue8 correlato ad un minore dolore post-operatorio, ha una pi\uf9 breve degenza ospedaliera, un costo economico complessivo superiore, un pi\uf9 alto livello di soddisfazione della paziente. Rispetto alla linfoadenectomia non sembrano esservi differenze significative rispetto al numero di linfonodi asportati. Il tasso di conversione laparotomica varia tra lo 0 e il 17%. Studi futuri saranno necessari per validare i risultati ottenuti confermando anche quali siano le tecniche capaci di ottenere i risultati migliori in termini di radicalit\ue0 e sopravvivenza

Successful Pregnancy Outcome after Laparoscopic Cerclage in a Patient with Cervicovaginal Fistula

Obstetric fistula usually originates from obstructed labor or, less often, from invasive maneuvers on the genital tract or the pregnant uterus. Overall, it is a rare finding in the obstetric practice of high income countries. In this report we describe the case of a successful term pregnancy in a patient with a history of recurrent late miscarriage due to a large cervical fistula of traumatic origin, connecting the uterine cavity and the posterior vaginal fornix. A combined approach of laparoscopic cerclage and transvaginal fistula repair effectively restored cervical competence and created the conditions for a viable birth in a subsequent pregnancy. This unusual cause of cervical incompetence may be included in the indications which benefit from an abdominal cerclage carried out as a minimally invasive procedure in the nonpregnant state

Laparoscopic removal of the cavitated noncommunicating rudimentary uterine horn: surgical aspects in 10 cases.

Laparoscopy proves to be an effective surgical approach for the removal of the cavitated noncommunicating rudimentary horn in patients with unicornuate uterus

Pregnancy outcome of migrant women delivering in a public institution in Northern Italy

There are differences in perinatal outcome between immigrant and italian women; within the large migrant population ethnic groups show wide disparities and challenge the health provider differently