[The HELLP syndrome. 13 cases].

The Hellp syndrome is a complication of raised blood pressure in pregnancy, haemolysis, a rise in liver enzymes and thrombopenia. In this retrospective study we report 12 cases of Hellp syndrome which occurred in the University Hospital Centre of Poitiers between 1982 and 1990 and we discuss causes, the progress, the prognosis and the management. Six patients were helped by prophylactic Caesarean operation.

[Indications and results of autotransfusion. Normovolemic hemodilution in gynecology-obstetrics].

Considering the importance of haemorrhagic complications in gynaecology-obstetrics and the increasing fear of accidents during blood transfusion, the authors propose, from the literature and the study of 13 cases, a reflection on the indications of deferred autotransfusion (DAT) and of normovolemic haemodilution (NVH). In obstetrics, even if DAT has undoubtedly certain advantages (besides viral contaminations, appearance of allo-antibodies..

[The value of antibiotic prophylaxis during intrauterine procedures during vaginal delivery. A comparative study of 500 patients].

This comparative study carried out on 550 patients has made it possible for us to show how valuable prophylactic antibiotic therapy is when certain intra-uterine manipulations (such as forceps delivery, manual removal of the placenta or exploration of the cavity of the uterus) are carried out during vaginal delivery. Furthermore, we have been able to show that there are certain risk factors of which the most important are premature rupture of the membranes, infected liquor, birth weight of the infant less than 2,500 g and epidural analgesia. The financial study has shown that it is cheaper to use prophylactic antibiotics when the comparison is made with the cost of treating complications of infection associated with these intra-uterine procedures.

[Pre-eclampsia and the nephrotic syndrome. Prognosis and management; apropos of a series of 23 cases].

In pregnancy pre-eclampsia can be complicated by the nephrotic syndrome. We report on the clinical findings in 23 patients who had the nephrotic syndrome in pregnancy with hypertension. None of these patients had any previous sign of nephropathy.