Laparoscopic removal of heterotopic cesarean scar pregnancy

OBJECTIVE

To present the laparoscopic management of heterotopic cesarean scar pregnancy and discuss other treatment options.

DESIGN

Surgical video article. The Institutional Ethics Committee approved the video reproduction.

SETTING

Tertiary referral university hospital PATIENT: A 29-year-old woman with spontaneous heterotopic cesarean scar pregnancy presented for vaginal spotting. Ultrasound revealed two gestational sacs at 7 weeks and 6 days of gestation with fetal cardiac activity. One sac was in a normal intrauterine location and the other in a previous cesarean section scar.

INTERVENTIONS

Scar pregnancy was excised laparoscopically while preserving intrauterine pregnancy. No additional measures were taken to reduce bleeding. The bladder was filled with 150 cc isotonic to determine its boundaries. The peritoneum was dissected away from the cervix. After removing the ectopic pregnancy material, the myometrial defect was excised. The uterine wall was closed in three layers using 2-0 V-LocTM sutures.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

Ongoing intrauterine pregnancy after laparoscopic removal of cesarean scar pregnancy and term delivery.

RESULTS

The procedure was completed in 67 min. Total blood loss was <100 cc. Ongoing pregnancy follow-up was uneventful. Delivery was planned for the 37th-38th weeks. Although instructed to visit immediately after experiencing pain, the patient arrived after the 38th week and reported having pain for 2 days. During cesarean section, a rupture was observed at the previous incision site, which was fortunately incomplete. A healthy male baby (weight, 3210 g; Apgar score, 9/10) was delivered.

CONCLUSIONS

The most common approach for heterotopic scar pregnancy is embryo reduction with potassium chloride injection. However, the mass persists in the scar area, resulting in complications associated with excessive bleeding during cesarean section in approximately half cases. Moreover, almost all published cases of embryo reduction resulted in premature births before week 36. Considering the present case, laparoscopic surgery may be appropriate for managing heterotopic cesarean scar pregnancy by preserving intrauterine pregnancy.

Evaluation of new biomarkers in stage III and IV endometriosis

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the efficacy of new endometriosis biomarkers in diagnosis and treatment.

METHODS

Thirty women with Stage III-IV endometriosis who were given an indication for surgery and 49 control patients were compared. Preoperative and postoperative serum levels of Annexin A5 (ANXA5), soluble intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (sICAM-1), interleukin-6 (IL-6), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), soluble vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (sVCAM-1), vascular endothelial growth factors (VEGF) and Ca-125 measurements were compared.

RESULTS

AUCs of ANXA5, sICAM-1, IL-6, TNF-α, VCAM-1, VEGF biomarkers were not found to be significant in diagnosing endometriosis when evaluated alone (p > 0.05). Only the AUC of the Ca-125 biomarker values were found to be significant with 73% sensitivity and 98% specificity (p < 0.001). However, when Ca-125 and ANXA5 were evaluated together, it was concluded that the diagnosis of endometriosis could be made with 73% sensitivity and 100% specificity.

CONCLUSION

When Ca-125 and ANXA5 are evaluated together, it seems to be more valuable than Ca-125 alone in diagnosing endometriosis.

Hormonal changes in consecutive clomiphene citrate stimulation cycles and their effect on pregnancy rates

Objective:

To determine the relationship between the cumulative effect of sequential clomiphene citrate (CC) treatments in unexplained infertile women with intercycle and intracycle serum hormone changes.

Materials and Methods:

Patients who received CC 50 mg in the first cycle (group I, n=34) as ovulation induction and those who received CC 50 mg in the second consecutive cycle (group II, n=18) were compared. Basal (cycle days 2-5) and trigger day (the day that recombinant human chorionic gonadotropin is given) levels of gonadotropin and steroid hormones were measured.

Results:

The 17OHP increase on trigger day was found to be statistically significantly higher in group II compared to the basal day (p=0.083). The testosterone (T) response on the trigger day of the patients in group II was found to be statistically significantly higher than that in group I (p=0.023). The number of selected follicles was negatively correlated with a follicle-stimulating hormone decrease and positively correlated with an estradiol increase. Endometrial thickness was positively correlated with a luteinizing hormone increase, and cycle cancelation was positively correlated with decreased estradiol.

Conclusion:

Based on this study, it was concluded that the reason for the increased efficiency rate in successive cycles of CC may be the cumulative increase in T and 17OHP levels. However, this result was found not to affect the clinical pregnancy rate.

Does “no-touch” technique hysteroscopy increase the risk of infection?

Objective:

Today, thanks to its many advantages, hysteroscopy with a vaginoscopic approach (no-touch) is increasingly being used more in outpatient diagnoses and treatments. However, there are concerns that the “no-touch” technique increases ascending genital tract infections since a speculum is not inserted, and disinfection of the cervix cannot achieve.

Materials and Methods:

Between 2011 and 2017, 302 patients who underwent office hysteroscopy with the vaginoscopic approach (group 1) and 254 patients who underwent hysteroscopy with the standard method under anesthesia in the operating room (group 2) were compared in terms of early complications (within two weeks postoperatively). The primary outcome was early postoperative infection, and the secondary outcome was other early complications, such as bleeding and rupture.

Results:

In this study, the success rate of hysteroscopy with the vaginoscopic approach was 96.4%. According to the visual analog scale scoring system, 88.7% of the patients described mild-to-moderate pain. When group 1 and 2 were compared in terms of postoperative infection (3% and 2.4%, respectively) and other early complication rates (0% and 0.8%, respectively), no statistically significant difference was found (p>0.05).

Conclusion:

Hysteroscopy with a vaginoscopic approach continues to be the gold standard method that is safe and well-tolerated by patients.

Hormonal Changes in Clomiphene Citrate Cycles in Unexplained Infertility Can Predict Follicle Development?

OBJECTIVES

To examine the intra-cycle and inter-cycle hormonal changes in the clomiphene citrate (CC) cycle in women with unexplained infertility; and to determine the factors that may predict follicle development or CC failure.

STUDY DESIGN

Descriptive study.

PLACE AND DURATION OF STUDY

This study was conducted at the Bagcilar Training and Research Hospital, Istanbul, Turkey from August 2019 to March 2020.

METHODOLOGY

Fifty-two women with unexplained infertility were included. Fifty-two cycles given 50 mg of CC but without follicle development were accepted as Group I. In the next cycle, 48 cycles given 100 mg of CC were accepted as Group II. During every cycle, serum hormone (FSH, LH, E2, P4, A4, DHEA‑S, T, 17‑OHP) levels were measured on days 2, 3, 4 or 5 of the cycle (basal day), and on the days when the leading follicle was triggered (trigger day). Endogenous hormone changes were compared in both the groups with and without follicle development as well as in those who could conceive and those who could not conceive.

RESULTS

Basal day FSH and DHEA‑S values were found to be statistically significantly higher in women with follicle development than those without follicle development (p = 0.02 and p = 0.039, respectively). The trigger day FSH value was found to be significantly lower in women who conceived compared to the basal day value (p = 0.004). The relatively high P4 value (p = 0.008) on the basal day (contingent upon it was not exceeding the 0.5 ng/mL threshold) and the low FSH value (p = 0.015) on the trigger day were found to be statistically significantly different in women who had conceived compared to those who had not.

CONCLUSION

Basal serum FSH, P4 and DHEA‑S levels can be used as predictors of ovulation in CC cycles in women with unexplained infertility by determining a threshold value with more comprehensive studies to be conducted in the future. Key Words: Androgens, Ovarian stimulation, Clomiphene citrate, Unexplained infertility, Induction of ovulation, Prediction.

Is there any difference between the distances created by towel clamp lifting and towel clamp plus manual lifting of the anterior abdominal wall for direct trocar entry in laparoscopic gynecologic surgery? A prospective interventional study

Objective:

Most surgeons prefer to perform anterior abdominal wall lifting during abdominal entry to avoid damage to intestines or main vessels. Anterior abdominal wall lifting is assumed to prevent vital organ injuries by creating an adequate distance prior to entry into the peritoneal cavity. In this study, we compared the distance created for trocar entry into the peritoneal cavity with towel clamp lifting and towel clamp plus manual elevation of the anterior abdominal wall.

Material and Methods:

Forty patients who underwent various laparoscopic procedures were enrolled. The study was performed in two steps: first the anterior abdominal wall was lifted using towel clamps (TC group), next the anterior abdominal wall was lifted via maximal manual elevation from the lower abdomen in addition to towel clamps (TCM group). The insertion distance of a plastic ruler into the abdomen was measured from the parietal peritoneum to the intra-abdominal structure in both groups.

Results:

There was a statistically significant difference between the two groups (TC group 3.9±1.5 cm vs. TCM group 4.5±1.5 cm, p<0.001). Correlation analysis of the relationship of distance with BMI in the study groups revealed a strong negative linear correlation [TC group vs. body mass index (BMI); r=-0.719, p<0.001 and TCM group vs. BMI, r=-0.749, p<0.001]. Correlation analysis of the relationship between the study groups and parity number revealed a weak negative linear correlation (TC group vs. parity number, r=-0.071, p=0.76 and the TCM group vs. parity number, p=0.61), which did not reach statistical significance.

Conclusion:

The recruitment of both towel clamps and manual elevation in anterior abdominal wall lifting provides significantly greater distance for trocar entry in laparoscopic surgery.