Shortening increases spontaneous contractility in myometrium from pregnant women at term.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to determine whether shortening alters spontaneous contractility in myometrial strips that are obtained from pregnant women.

Study Design: Isometric contractions were measured in myometrial strips that were obtained at cesarean delivery from 14 pregnant women at term. After 2 hours of stretching, the strip lengths were decreased by 4%, 6%, or 8%.

Endometriosis in adolescence: a long-term follow-up fecundability assessment.

Objective: A long-term, follow-up study comparing mild and severe forms of endometriosis and their fecundability, on 28 women diagnosed with endometriosis in adolescence.

Methodology: Twenty-eight patients were identified from a prospective cohort of 52 adolescents (ages 12 to 18 years) with operative diagnosis of endometriosis between July 1993 and December 1995. All patients presented with chronic pelvic pain unresponsive to conservative medical management.

Visualization of the epigastric vessels and bladder before laparoscopic trocar placement.

Objective: Transillumination and laparoscopic visualization are two techniques recommended to minimize the risks of injury to abdominal wall structures during insertion of secondary trocars. This study was designed to determine the effectiveness of these techniques to locate the epigastric vessels and superior bladder margin.

Design: Prospective observational.

Patient rotation and resolution of unilateral cornual obstruction during hysterosalpingography.

Objective: Unilateral obstruction of the proximal fallopian tube is identified in 10-24% of patients undergoing hysterosalpingography for evaluation of infertility. Upon further testing, this obstruction spontaneously resolves 16-80% of the time. We hypothesized that patient rotation during hysterosalpingography might resolve proximal tubal obstruction in some cases by altering either the location of intrauterine air bubbles or the spatial relationship of the tube to the uterine fundus.

Endometriotic haptoglobin binds to peritoneal macrophages and alters their function in women with endometriosis.

Objective: To evaluate the effects of endometriotic haptoglobin on peritoneal macrophage function.

Design: Prospective laboratory study.

Setting: School of medicine.