Are the cesarean section skin scar characteristics associated with intraabdominal adhesions located at surgical and non-surgical sites

The effectiveness of preoperative diagnostic methods in predicting intra-abdominal adhesions before repeat cesarean section delivery

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of skin appearance, striae gravidarum severity, and ultrasonographic "sliding sign" in predicting preoperative adhesions before repeat cesarean section delivery on the same patient and find the most useful one.

METHODS

This was a prospective cohort study conducted on pregnant women with a history of cesarean section delivery. Davey's scoring system was used for stria evaluation. The scar was assessed using their visual appearance, and transabdominal ultrasonography was applied to detect sliding sign existence. Surgeons blinded to preoperative assessment graded the severity of intra-abdominal adhesions intraoperatively using Nair's scoring system.

RESULTS

Of the 164 pregnant women with at least one previous cesarean section delivery, 73 (44.5%) had filmy or dense intra-abdominal adhesions. Statistically significant association was found between three groups regarding parity, previous cesarean number, scar appearance, total stria score, and sliding sign existence. Negative sliding sign had a likelihood ratio of 4.198 (95%CI 1.178-14.964) for the detection of intra-abdominal adhesions. Stria score and scar appearance were also valuable for detection adhesions with likelihood ratios of 1.518 (95%CI 1.045-2.205) and 2.405 (95%CI 0.851-6.796), respectively. After receiver operator characteristics curve analysis, striae score cutoff value in adhesion prediction was determined as 3.5.

CONCLUSION

Stria score, scar appearance, and sliding sign are all significant predictors for intraperitoneal adhesions, and sliding sign, as an easy-to-apply, inexpensive, useful sonographic marker, is the most effective adhesion predictor before repeat cesarean section delivery compared to other known adhesion markers.

The Effect of Skin-to-Skin Contact on Postoperative Depression and Physical Recovery of Parturients after Cesarean Section in Obstetrics and Gynecology Department

The effect of skin-to-skin contact (SSC) on postpartum depression and physical rehabilitation of cesarean section women was explored. 280 parturients undergoing cesarean section were selected and were rolled into two groups randomly. The parturients in the control group (Con group, 140 cases) received routine care, and those in the experimental group (Exp group, 140 cases) received SSC on the basis of routine care. The postpartum depression and physical recovery of parturients in two groups were compared. It was found that, in the Exp group, the number of pregnant women with no or with very mild depression was much more 85% vs. 55%), the number of women with adequate lactation was more (53 cases vs. 27 cases), the first lactation time (FLT) was dramatically shorter (41.25 ± 4.81 h vs. 58.43 ± 5.43 h), the breastfeeding success rate (BFSR) and breastfeeding rate (BFR) were obvious higher, the days for uterine involution was much shorter (6.96 ± 1.13 days vs. 9.47 ± 1.75 days), the descent of uterine fundus 24 hours after delivery (24 h-DUF) was obviously larger (3.17 ± 0.26 mm vs. 1.56 ± 0.43 mm), the duration of lochia (DOL) was remarkably shorter (33.21 ± 5.32 days vs. 25.32 ± 3.54 days), and the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) score was lower (4.88 ± 0.32 points vs. 3.41 ± 0.53 points), showing statistical differences for all above indicators (P < 0.05). It suggested that SSC could effectively relieve the postpartum depression of uterine parturients, promote the lactation, increase the BFR, facilitate uterine involution, and alleviate chronic uterine inflammation and postpartum pain, showing high clinical application and promotion value.

Predicting Intra-abdominal Adhesions for Repeat Cesarean Delivery with the Ultrasound Sliding Sign

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the diagnostic value of the "sliding sign", a sonographic test, in predicting intra-abdominal adhesions for women undergoing repeat cesarean delivery.

METHODS

This was a prospective observational study of women undergoing a scheduled repeat cesarean delivery at a regional hospital. The sliding sign is a sonographic observation of sliding movement between the uterus and the abdominal wall during deep breathing. The absence of the sliding sign was considered indicative of a high risk for dense uterine-abdominal adhesions, and this finding was compared with the operative findings. The primary outcome was the accuracy of the sliding sign in predicting adhesions. Secondary outcomes included incision-to-delivery time, operative time, and blood loss.

RESULTS

We examined 112 pregnant women. Dense uterine-abdominal adhesions were found in 15 women, 8 of whom had no sliding sign identified on ultrasound. Therefore, the presence of the sliding sign detected 78 out of 97 women without uterine-abdominal adhesions. The sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predictive values of the sliding sign were 53.3%, 80.4%, 29.6%, and 91.8%, respectively. The intra- and inter-observer reliability using the kappa coefficient showed moderate consistency at 0.43 and 0.45, respectively.

CONCLUSION

The sliding sign was less predictive than desired for clinical use, and it only detected half of the women with dense uterine-abdominal adhesions. Furthermore, a moderately low kappa coefficient indicates a lack of reproducibility, further emphasizing the sign's limited clinical value.

Prediction of intraperitoneal adhesions using striae gravidarum and scar characteristics in women undergoing repeated cesarean sections

BACKGROUND

The current fact of increasing rates of cesarean deliveries is a catastrophe. Recurrent cesareans result in intraperitoneal adhesions that would lead to maternal morbidity during delivery. Great efforts are directed towards the prediction of intraperitoneal adhesions to provide the best care for laboring women. The aim of the current study was to evaluate the role of abdominal striae and cesarean scar characters in the prediction of intraperitoneal adhesions.

METHODS

This was a case- control study conducted in the emergency ward of the obstetrics and gynecology department of a tertiary hospital from June to December 2019. The study was carried on patients admitted to the ward fulfilling particular inclusion and exclusion criteria. The study included two groups, group one was assessed for the presence of striae, and the degree of intraperitoneal adhesions was evaluated during the current cesarean section. Group two included patients without evidence of abdominal striae. They were evaluated for the severity of adhesions also after evaluation of the previous scar. Evaluation of the striae was done using Davey's scoring system. The scar was assessed using the Vancouver Scar Scale. The modified Nair's scoring system was used to evaluate intraperitoneal adhesions.

RESULTS

The study group included 203 women, while the control group included 205 women. There were significant differences in the demographic characters of the recruited patients (p-value 0.001 for almost all variables). The mean Davey score in those with mild, moderate, and severe striae was 1.82 ± 0.39, 3.57 ± 0.5, and 6.73 ± 0.94, respectively (p-value < 0.001). Higher scores for the parameters of the Vancouver scale were present in patients with severe striae (1.69 ± 1.01, 1.73 ± 0.57, 2.67 ± 1.23, and 1.35 ± 1.06 for scar vascularity, pigmentation, pliability, and height respectively with a p-value of < 0.001 each). Thick intraperitoneal adhesions were noted significantly in women with severe striae [21 (43.75%), p-value < 0.001)]. The Davey's and Vancouver scores showed highly significant predictive performance in the prediction of intraperitoneal adhesions (p-value < 0.001).

CONCLUSION

Abdominal striae and cesarean scar were significant predictors for intraperitoneal adhesions.

Does the appearance of the cutaneous scar after cesarean section reflect the residual myometrial thickness?

PURPOSE

The aim of this study is to utilize the Manchester scar scale (MSS) and ultrasound in investigating the association between uterine wall defects and cutaneous scar characteristics after cesarean section (CS).

METHODS

This is a prospective cohort study. The degree of myometrial loss was quantified by calculating a residual myometrial thickness (RMT) ratio as a percentage of RMT to the pre-cesarean anterior uterine wall thickness. Cutaneous scar assessment was performed according to the MSS. Spearman's correlation and the Kruskal-Wallis test with a cut-off value of p < 0.05 were used for statistical analysis.

RESULTS

Two hundred forty seven women, of which 2.4% had an Asian, 3.6% an Afro-American, 82% a Caucasian and 12% a Mediterranean background, were recruited. The RMT ratio ranged between 11.9 and 100% with a median of 55.8% and an average of 56%. MSS scores ranged from 4 to 13 with a median of 5 and an average of 6. Spearman's correlation between MSS and RMT ratio show a rho of - 0.01 with a p value of 0.8. The correlation between MSS and RMT ratio within the four ethnical groups showed a p value between 0.3 and 0.8 and a rho between 0.8 and - 0.8. The Kruskal-Wallis test showed an eta2 of 0.13 and a p value of 0.0002 for the effect of ethnicity on MSS and an eta2 of 0.009 and a p value of 0.68 for the effect of ethnicity on the RMT ratio.

CONCLUSION

CS laparotomy scars heal differently between ethnical groups, but generally with satisfying results. Ethnicity does not affect myometrial healing and scar appearance does not reflect myometrial healing after CS. Thus, separate uterine sonographic assessment is recommended.