Pregnancy in fanconi anaemia with bone marrow failure: A case report and review of the literature

BACKGROUND: Fanconi anaemia is a rare inherited disease characterized by congenital abnormalities, progressive bone marrow failure and predisposition to malignancy. Successful pregnancies in transplanted patients have been reported. In this paper we will describe the pregnancy of a patient with Fanconi anaemia without transplantation. CASE PRESENTATION: A 34-year-old nulliparous woman with Fanconi anaemia was referred to our institution. Pregnancy was complicated by progressive pancytopenia and two severe infections. C-section was performed at 36 weeks. Both infant and mother are well. CONCLUSION: Successful pregnancy in a Fanconi anaemia patient with bone marrow failure is possible. The mode of delivery in patients with bone marrow failure should be determined by obstetric indications. The case highlights the safe outcome of the pregnancy with strict clinical and laboratory control by a multidisciplinary team

Ovarian vein thrombosis presenting as acute abdomen in puerperium

Postpartum Ovarian Vein Thrombosis (POVT) is a rare, but serious condition that causes slow quadrant pain in the postpartum period. POVT must be considered in the differential diagnosis of postpartum acute abdomen. We hereby report a case on a 36-year-old Italian woman who developed an acute abdomen a week after spontaneous vaginal delivery. She had persistent fever and constipation. Diagnosis of POVT was made with an abdominal Computed Tomography (CT) and treatment with heparin and broad-spectrum antibiotics were started. After 72 hours, the patient was switched from low molecular weight heparin to oral anticoagulant treatment. After 5 months a complete recanalization was demonstrated by abdomen CT and the treatment was stopped 6 months after diagnosis. POVT is a diagnosis of exclusion in the puerperium. This case illustrated that POVT may also occur in low risk patient

Endometriosis-Related Hemoperitoneum in Pregnancy: A Diagnosis to Keep in Mind

BACKGROUND: Endometriosis is an important gynecologic clinical entity, pathologically defined by the ectopic presence of endometrium and frequently associated with pelvic pain, that affects approximately 10% of females of reproductive age. A rare but severe complication of endometriosis during pregnancy is spontaneous hemoperitoneum in pregnancy (SHiP), severe intraabdominal bleeding that can be life threatening. CASE REPORT: We present the case of a patient with SHiP at 29 weeks of pregnancy. A supraumbilical midline laparotomy was performed, and pelvic exploration revealed a lacerated and bleeding right ovary. Right annessiectomy was performed, and a cesarean section was performed because hemostasis was not achievable. A healthy baby was born, and hemostasis was finally achieved. CONCLUSION: We believe that in gravid females with a history of endometriosis, severe abdominal pain, and a reduction of hemoglobin, physicians should always suspect SHiP. Because SHiP is a life-threatening condition for both the mother and the baby, a prompt diagnosis must lead to prompt treatment

Extending cervicoplastic surgery: an alternative technique to overcome the limitation of office hysteroscopy

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Clinical value of bioelectrical properties of cancerous tissue in advanced epithelial ovarian cancer patients

Currently, there are no valid pre-operatively established biomarkers or algorithms that can accurately predict surgical and clinical outcome for patients with advanced epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC). In this study, we suggest that profiling of tumour parameters such as bioelectrical-potential and metabolites, detectable by electronic sensors, could facilitate the future development of devices to better monitor disease and predict surgical and treatment outcomes. Biopotential was recorded, using a potentiometric measurement system, in ex vivo paired non-cancerous and cancerous omental tissues from advanced stage EOC (n = 36), and lysates collected for metabolite measurement by microdialysis. Consistently different biopotential values were detected in cancerous tissue versus non-cancerous tissue across all cases (p < 0.001). High tumour biopotential levels correlated with advanced tumour stage (p = 0.048) and tumour load, and negatively correlated with stroma. Within our EOC cohort and specifically the high-grade serous subtype, low biopotential levels associated with poorer progression-free survival (p = 0.0179, p = 0.0143 respectively). Changes in biopotential levels significantly correlated with common apoptosis related pathways. Lactate and glucose levels measured in paired tissues showed significantly higher lactate/glucose ratio in tissues with low biopotential (p < 0.01, n = 12). Our study proposes the feasibility of biopotential and metabolite monitoring as a biomarker modality profiling EOC to predict surgical and clinical outcomes