Isolated fallopian tube torsion: an unusual cause of acute abdominal pain.

The authors report a rare, unusual case of an isolated fallopian tube torsion in a young woman presenting with acute lower abdominal pain and a negative pregnancy test. The patient who initially presented with clinical and biochemical features suggestive of acute appendicitis was found to have a large necrotic pelvic mass at laparoscopy, discovered to be a torted fallopian tube with no ipsilateral ovarian involvement. The patient had a laparoscopic removal of the necrotic tube and recovered well postoperatively.

Aberrations of early trophoblast differentiation predispose to pregnancy failure: lessons from the anti-phospholipid syndrome.

Objectives: The epithelium of the human placenta comprises an inner cytotrophoblast (CT) which proliferates and fuses with the outer differentiated syncytiotrophoblast (ST). Turnover has been studied focussing on second and third trimester placentas but with a paucity of data describing the normal first trimester trophoblast. The aim of this study was to compare the nuclear CT:ST ratio in normal and pathological pregnancy and thus establish the relationship between cytotrophoblast and syncytiotrophoblast nuclear number during early gestation.

Thromboelastography, whole-blood haemostasis and recurrent miscarriage.

Background: Some cases of recurrent miscarriage have a thrombotic basis. Thromboelastography is a rapid, reproducible test of whole-blood haemostasis.

Methods: Thromboelastography was performed in 494 consecutive, non-pregnant women (median age 35 years; range 21-48) with a history of miscarriages at <12 weeks gestation (median 4; range 3-12) and 55 parous women (median age 33 years; range 20-41) with no history of pregnancy loss.

Reproducibility of three-dimensional ultrasound diagnosis of congenital uterine anomalies.

Objective: To examine the reproducibility of the diagnosis of congenital uterine anomalies and the repeatability of measurements of uterine cavity dimensions using three-dimensional (3D) ultrasound.

Methods: The reproducibility of diagnosis of congenital uterine anomalies was examined by re-slicing stored 3D ultrasound volumes. Each data set was evaluated by two independent observers.

Placental pathology, antiphospholipid antibodies, and pregnancy outcome in recurrent miscarriage patients.

Objective: To examine whether there are characteristic histological features in placentas from ongoing pregnancies of patients with a history of recurrent miscarriage, with and without primary antiphospholipid antibody syndrome, in relation to clinical pregnancy outcome.

Methods: Patients attending a recurrent miscarriage clinic were investigated and treated according to an established protocol. One hundred twenty-one consecutive patients achieving a potentially viable pregnancy (at least 24 completed weeks' gestation), including 60 primary antiphospholipid antibody syndrome-positive cases and 61 primary antiphospholipid antibody syndrome-negative cases were included.