Idiopathic arterial calcification in a stillborn complicated by pleural hemorrhage and hydrops fetalis.

We report a case of idiopathic arterial calcification in a stillborn. As usually noted in this rare entity, the pregnancy was complicated by a polyhydramnios. The postmortem examination showed generalized arterial calcification, periarticular calcific deposits, and a large pleural hemorrhage.

[Placenta praevia percreta with bladder invasion: a case report].

The authors report a rare case of placenta praevia percreta with bladder invasion giving rise to the need to carry out an emergency hysterectomy in order to stop the bleeding. The literature when analysed showed the possible outcome of this complication in a woman who had already had a caesarean section and who had placenta praevia that required a second caesarean. In this situation it is almost inevitable that a hysterectomy has to be carried out to stop the bleeding.

[Antithrombin III deficiency and pregnancy. Apropos of a case].

Congenital deficiency of antithrombin III is a disease inherited as an autosomal dominant which predisposes to thromboembolism. Pregnancy and the postpartum period constitute a major additional risk factor for thromboembolism in deficient women. However, pregnancy may be envisaged without risk since there has been an improvement in knowledge concerning the physiology of the AT III molecule, its exact role in coagulation, the application of accurate laboratory tests which measure the deficiency, and especially the programming of pregnancy under cover of preventive treatment consisting of the perfusion of AT III concentrate in association with heparin.

Renal, pancreatic and hepatic dysplasia sequence.

A renal, pancreatic and hepatic dysplasia sequence (RPHD sequence) was found in a male premature baby who died a few minutes after birth. Autopsy documented multicystic dysplastic kidneys, a dysplastic pancreas with dilated ducts, cysts, fibrosis and inflammatory infiltrates, prominent portal tracts containing dilated bile ducts and hypoplastic lungs. Other organs were normal.

[Anorexia nervosa and pregnancy].

We report the case of a pregnancy associated with severe anorexia nervosa. The patient weighed 33 kg for 1 m 51 at conception. The pregnancy was obtained during a spontaneous cycle.

[Uterine rupture after tubal reimplantation].

The authors report a case of rupture of the right cornu of the uterus in the ninth month of pregnancy in a woman who had had her right tube implanted into her uterus. This complication is considered, in the discussion, to be rare. It is very difficult to prevent it happening during pregnancy.

[Fatal multiple pterygium syndrome and nuchal hygroma].

A turkish family with three sibs (including twins) affected by the lethal multiple syndrome is reported.

Cyclopia-otocephaly association: a new case of the most severe variant of agnathia-holoprosencephaly complex.

This report describes a new case of true cyclopia with otocephaly and additional brain malformations (alobar holoprosencephaly). This is a very rare occurrence involving lack of cleavage of the prosencephalon and disturbed development of the first branchial arch. An inductive defect of the prechordal mesoderm is considered as the cause for this malformation, which is a part of agnathia-holoprosencephaly complex.

[A new technic for early prenatal diagnosis: trophoblast biopsy. Preliminary study].

The authors report a preliminary study of chromosomal analysis made on chorionic villosities. The samples were taken by means of biopsy forceps. The "direct" method was used to determine the karyotype.

[Anterior sacculation of the pregnant uterus persisting until the 34th week].

The authors report a case of retroversion of the uterus with anterior sacculation that carried on to the 34th week of pregnancy without any functional troubles. Caesarean section made it possible to deliver a child weighing 1910 g. There were no adhesions found behind the uterus to fix it in retroversion.

[Isolation from a pregnant woman of a serum protein responsible for inhibiting an in vitro cytotoxicity reaction].

A non specific immunosupressive factor able to block an in vitro cytotoxicity reaction is demonstrated in the serum of pregnant women. A solution containing this blocking factor is obtained by gel filtration and precipitation of plasma by polyethylene glycol 4 000. Then after immunisation of rabbits the immune serum can be used for affinity chromatography.

[Pregnancy in the diabetic woman].

The authors review ten years of caring for pregnant diabetic women. They adhered rigidly in these ten years to two fundamental principles, which were the need to ensure rigorous control of blood sugar levels, and the value of waiting to the 37th or 38th week before starting labour whenever the fetus did not seem to be particularly at risk. Their attitude, which has stayed remarkably constant, is different from that of many other authors who during this same period started by stopping the pregnancy prophylactically between the 34th and 36th week but later allowed labour to start sometimes spontaneously at a later stage as knowledge of feto-maternal mechanisms increased and methods of supervising these patients improved.

[Immunologic phenomena in habitual abortion].

12 women with recurrent abortions are investigated for various immunological parameters. Couples studied shared several HLA antigens, those women do not develop HLA' antibodies and cellular cytotoxicity against their husband. Their serum has an abnormal glycoprotein, migrating in the alpha globulin zone, precipitating with anti beta globulin serum.

[Transitory hydronephroses after the Marshall-Marchetti operation. A case history (author's transl)].

The authors report an unusual complication following the correction of a case of stress incontinence by vesico-urethral suspension using the Marshall-Marchetti procedure. They observe the rapid onset of an unilateral uretero-hydronephrosis which was due to oedema of the right vesico-ureteral junction and which was cured by a short treatment, with corticoids.