Imaging in gynecological disease (27): clinical and ultrasound characteristics of recurrent ovarian stromal cell tumors.

Objective: To describe the clinical and ultrasound characteristics of recurrent granulosa cell and Sertoli-Leydig cell tumors.

Methods: This was a retrospective observational study performed at Fondazione Policlinico Universitario A. Gemelli, Istituto di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico, IRCCS, Rome (Gemelli center), Italy.

Diagnostic performance of ultrasound in assessing the extension of disease in advanced ovarian cancer.

Background: Surgical exploration remains the gold standard for evaluating the extension of disease and predicting resectability. A laparoscopy-based scoring model was developed by Fagotti and colleagues in 2006 and updated in 2015, based on the intraoperative presence or absence of some specific cancer features. The model proved an overall accuracy rate of 77% to 100% and is considered the reference test for assessing resectability in our institution.

New approach for T-shaped uterus: Metroplasty with resection of lateral fibromuscular tissue using a 15 Fr miniresectoscope. A step-by-step technique.

T-shaped uterus is a congenital uterine malformation (CUM), only recently defined by the ESGE ESHRE classification as Class U1a. The uterus is characterised by a narrow uterine cavity due to thickened lateral walls with a correlation 2/3 uterine corpus and 1/3 cervix. Although the significance of this dysmorphic malformation on reproductive performance has been questioned, recent studies reported significant improvement of life birth rates after surgical correction in patients with failed in-vitro fertilisation (IVF) or recurrent miscarriage.

Medical treatment of patients with gynecologic cancer during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Background: During the COVID-19 pandemic, cancer care had to be reorganized; national and international recommendations were published to manage anticancer treatments safely and to reduce the risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection for patients and health workers.

Objective: To evaluate whether the adoption of recommendations for the management of patients with gynaecologic cancer receiving treatment during the pandemic resulted in containment of infections and continuing oncologic care.

Methods: Based on the published recommendations, and according to the local Health Direction guidelines, we developed and drafted a security protocol to modify access of patients with gynaecologic cancer to the "Fondazione Policlinico Agostino Gemelli-IRCCS, Rome" between February 1 and April 30, 2020 and compared results with the corresponding 3 months of 2019.

Fusion imaging in preoperative assessment of extent of disease in patients with advanced ovarian cancer: feasibility and agreement with laparoscopic findings.

Objectives: Fusion imaging is an emerging technique that combines real-time ultrasound examination with images acquired previously using other modalities, such as computed tomography (CT), magnetic resonance imaging and positron emission tomography. The primary aim of this study was to evaluate the feasibility of fusion imaging in patients with suspicion of ovarian or peritoneal cancer. Secondary aims were: to compare the agreement of findings on fusion imaging, CT alone and ultrasound imaging alone with laparoscopic findings, in the assessment of extent of intra-abdominal disease; and to evaluate the time required for the fusion imaging technique.

Clinical and ultrasound characteristics of vaginal lesions.

Objective: Ultrasound examination represents the most important diagnostic method to preoperatively assess gynecological diseases. However, the ultrasound characteristics of vaginal pathologies are poorly investigated. The aim of this study was to describe the clinical and ultrasound characteristics of vaginal lesions detected at ultrasound.

Pembrolizumab for advanced cervical cancer: safety and efficacy.

: Pembrolizumab is an immune checkpoint inhibitor with high specificity for binding to the programmed cell death 1 (PD-1) receptor. It has been approved by the FDA in patients with recurrent or metastatic cervical cancer with disease progression on or after chemotherapy whose tumors express the programmed cell death ligand 1 (PD-L1).: Clinical studies of pembrolizumab in cervical cancer were analyzed and discussed.

Management of ovarian masses in pregnancy: patient selection for interventional treatment.

Objective: The management of pregnant women with an adnexal tumor is still challenging and in the literature few data are available. The aim of this study was to describe the management and outcome of patients with ovarian masses detected during pregnancy. As secondary aims, we evaluated the prevalence of malignancy in the International Ovarian Tumor Analysis (IOTA) morphological classes of ovarian masses diagnosed during pregnancy, and created an algorithm for the management of patients with adnexal masses during pregnancy.

Transvaginal ultrasound assessment of urinary tract in gynecological oncology patients: A multicenter prospective study.

Introduction: The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence of urinary tract involvement diagnosed on transvaginal ultrasound examination in women gynecological cancers. The diagnostic performance of transvaginal ultrasound in detecting ureteral and bladder involvement was also evaluated.

Methods: This is a multicenter prospective study.

Diagnostic performance of ultrasound in assessing the extension of the disease in patients with suspicion of malignant ovarian tumor: correlation between ultrasound parameters and Fagotti's score.

Background: A radical surgical approach represents the mainstay treatment for gynecological malignancy, and preoperative staging of ovarian cancer is crucial. Ultrasound evaluation is widely recognized as the gold standard technique for the characterization of ovarian masses due to a high sensitivity for malignancy. In addition, its accuracy in defining intra-abdominal ovarian cancer spread has been previously proposed.

Bevacizumab as maintenance treatment in BRCA mutated patients with advanced ovarian cancer: A large, retrospective, multicenter case-control study.

Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the correlation between BRCA mutational status and response to bevacizumab in a large advanced ovarian cancer (AOC) series.

Methods: This is a multicenter, retrospective case-control study including upfront AOC treated between January 2015 and June 2019. The main inclusion criteria were: having received three weekly carboplatin-paclitaxel as first-line treatment, with or without Bevacizumab maintenance, knowledge of the BRCA mutational status.

Vaginal birth after caesarean section: a multicentre study on prognostic factors and feasibility.

Purpose: Vaginal birth after caesarean (VBAC) is an option to avoid major abdominal surgery and many consequences related to repeated caesarean delivery. In the last years, many efforts have been made to increase the number of patients attempting trial of labour after caesarean (TOLAC). The aim of our study was to identify the most important factors associated with the success of VBAC.

Imaging in gynecological disease (20): clinical and ultrasound characteristics of adnexal torsion.

Objectives: To describe the clinical and ultrasound characteristics of adnexal torsion.

Methods: This was a retrospective study. From the operative records of the eight participating gynecological ultrasound centers, we identified patients with a surgically confirmed diagnosis of adnexal torsion, defined as surgical evidence of ovarian pedicle, paraovarian cyst and/or Fallopian tube twisted on its own axis, who had undergone preoperative ultrasound examination by an experienced examiner, between 2008 and 2018.