Improvement in uterine artery doppler indices via hysteroscopic metroplasty.

Objective: the objective of our research was to study uterine artery doppler indices and their evolution over time after metroplasty and subsequent pregnancy in patients whose septate uterus was the only explanation for infertility.

Materials And Methods: a retrospective study. The uterine arteries of 78 patients with septate uteri were evaluated using endovaginal color doppler ultrasound before and after metroplasty.

Full-term-pregnancy effects of antenatal betamethasone administration on short-term variation as assessed by computerized cardiotocography.

Objective: to verify whether there are other than transitory effects of antenatal betamethasone (administered for fetal lung maturity [FLM] enhancement) on fetal heart rate (FHR) variability detected by computerized cardiotocography (cCTG) in cases where formerly steroid-treated fetuses reached term.

Materials And Methods: cCTG of one hundred sixty-four women (study group) exposed to antenatal betamethasone for risk of preterm delivery in third trimester period were compared to controls (pregnancies who presented risk of preterm labour in the same period of cases, although with no steroids administration). cCTG was performed weekly as of standard schedule when pregnancies reach term from 37-40 weeks' gestation for cases and controls.

Conjoined twins: what ultrasound may add to management.

Introduction: Conjoined twins occur in approximately 0.2:10,000 births; the obstetrician and sonographer only rarely examine them. In Western countries, discovery of conjoined twins is often made by the end of the first trimester; however, in the third world, conjoined twins are often discovered only at birth.

Platelets in pregnancy.

As stated in this review, platelets functions and their important role in coagulabity in pregnancy must be well understood, not only in thrombosis related complications in pregnancy (i.e., hypertension, diabetes, thrombophilia).

Early prenatal sonographic diagnosis of gastroschisis.

We report a case of gastroschisis that was suspected at sonography at 11 weeks + 3 days of amenorrhea. Although early detection does not alter prenatal management of this condition nor does it affect neonatal outcome, it allows early counseling of the parents.

Betamethasone effects on umbilical arteries and ductus venosus Doppler velocity waveforms in growth-restricted fetuses.

Unlabelled: We studied intrauterine-growth-restricted (IUGR) fetuses with absent or reversed umbilical artery end-diastolic flow (EDF) velocity in order to evaluate the benefit of antenatal steroid therapy. Perinatal outcomes after betamethasone were evaluated where end diastolic flow returned (group I), compared with data from fetuses with persistent absent-reverse end diastolic(ARED) flow (group II).

Objectives/methods: We recruited sixty-four IUGR fetuses, 28-32 weeks' gestation, whose umbilical artery spectral tracings showed ARED flow and positive a-wave in the ductus venosus at admission.

Lamellar bodies: platelet channel particles as predictors of respiratory distress syndrome (RDS) and of transient tachypnea of the newborn.

Objective: We aimed to find a single numeric cut-off point in order to predict respiratory distress syndrome (RDS) and transient tachypnea of the newborn (TTN), through quantification of the lamellar bodies (LBs) count.

Materials And Methods: Two hundred and twenty-seven single pregnancies delivered within 48 h from amniocentesis in a III level university hospital in a period between 1996 and 2007. LBs counts were determined by amniotic fluid (AF) sampling and after centrifugation in a commercially available Coulter counter.

Unicornuate uteri associated with contralateral renal agenesis and ovarian anomalies.

Our findings regarding two cases of unicornuate uterus validate that conventional transvaginal ultrasound is helpful in diagnosing uterine anomalies. Moreover, anomalies of the urinary system and the contralateral ovary should always be considered.

Oral contraceptives and clinical recurrence of human papillomavirus lesions and cervical intraepithelial neoplasia following treatment.

Objective: To evaluate the effect of oral contraceptive use on the recurrence rate of human papillomavirus (HPV) lesions and cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) following ablative or excisional procedures in a long-term follow-up.

Method: The study was conducted with 650 oral contraceptive users presenting with HPV lesions and/or CIN, and 670 women who had these lesions but did not use oral contraceptives acted as controls. The participants underwent cytologic evaluations, colposcopy, and direct biopsy, followed by either ablative treatment by laser carbon dioxide vaporization or excision by a loop electrosurgical excision procedure or cold knife conization.

Validity of amniotic fluid index in preterm rupture of membranes.

Background: Preterm premature rupture of membranes (pPROM) complicates up to one-third of preterm deliveries. We studied the Amniotic Fluid Index (AFI) in order to ascertain its validity as a predictive variable of maternal-fetal outcome in pregnancies complicated by pPROM.

Study Design: One hundred and fourteen pregnant women with gestational age between 24 and 34 weeks' gestation at the time of pPROM.

The combined effect of betamethasone and ritodrine on the middle cerebral artery in low risk third trimester pregnancies.

Aims: To evaluate the effect of antenatal betamethasone and ritodrine in third trimester low risk singleton pregnancies by Doppler technology.

Subjects And Methods: Eighty-four third trimester pregnant women who received a full course of betamethasone and delivering uneventfully were recruited. The Doppler examination included the assessment of the pulsatility index (PI) of the umbilical artery (UA PI) and the middle cerebral artery (MCA PI) prior to treatment (baseline), and 48, 72 and 96 h after the second dose of betamethasone.

Amniotic fluid lamellar body counts for the determination of fetal lung maturity: an update.

Aim: To reassess the cut-off value for lamellar body counts (LBs) for fetal lung maturity (FLM) over a 10-year study period.

Patients And Methods: 178 pregnancies were selected under strict inclusion criteria and delivered within 48 h from amniocentesis. FLM was determined by amniotic fluid LBs in centrifuged samples (300 x g for 10 min) in a commercially available Coulter Counter.

Computerized cardiotocography parameters in pregnant women affected by pregestational diabetes mellitus.

Aim: To evaluate whether computerized CTG (cCTG) is a reliable method of predicting neonatal outcome in pregnancies complicated by pregestational diabetes at term.

Patients And Methods: We considered 27 pregnant women affected by pregestational diabetes and 46 normal pregnancies as controls that fulfilled the following criteria: singleton, Caucasian, euglycemic pregnancies at term (>37 weeks gestational age). All women delivered by cesarean section (CS), with an antepartum cCTG performed within one hour before the CS and an UBGA available at birth.

Association between maternal-fetal Doppler velocimetry and fetal lung maturity.

Aims: To correlate maternal-fetal Doppler velocimetry parameters to indices of fetal lung maturity (FLM).

Methods: Fifty-five consecutive third trimester pregnancies in which a pulsed-wave Doppler study, including uterine resistance index (Ut RI), umbilical artery pulsatility index (UA PI), middle cerebral artery pulsatility index (MCA PI) and the UA/MCA ratio was performed within 24 hours before amniocentesis and within a week from birth. FLM was determined by amniotic fluid lamellar bodies count (LBs).

Validity of short term variation (STV) in detection of fetal acidemia.

Aims: We aimed to establish a cut-off for short term variation (STV) in msec in electronic FHR tracings as a single parameter for the prediction of neonatal acidemia and hypercarbia at birth.

Methods: 195 consecutive cases of singleton pregnancies between 26 to 42 weeks' gestation delivered by cesarean section, with an antepartum tracing performed within 4 hours from birth and umbilical artery gas analysis (UBGA) available at birth.

Results: A positive correlation (r = 0.