Acute hyperlipidemic pancreatitis in pregnancy.

Background: Pancreatitis in pregnancy remains a rare event and is most often associated with gallstone disease. Hyperlipidemic gestational pancreatitis usually occurs in women with a preexisting abnormality of the lipid metabolism and poses particular problems in diagnosis and clinical management.

Cases: We describe 5 patients with acute episodes of pancreatitis during pregnancy caused by hyperlipidemia.

Management of ectopic pregnancy in the military during deployment to Southwest Asia.

Background: Expeditionary military facilities care for deployed military personnel. They deploy with limited equipment and personnel to austere environments. Female military personnel are deployed forward in a support capacity.

Commitment, confirmation, and clearance: new techniques for nonradiation ERCP during pregnancy (with videos).

Background: Symptomatic choledocholithiasis during pregnancy can be treated with ERCP, but fluoroscopy may pose a risk to the fetus. Nonradiation ERCP may be a safer form of treatment, but its performance has not been optimized.

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to evaluate new methods of nonradiation ERCP during pregnancy, including wire-guided cannulation techniques to achieve bile-duct access without the use of fluoroscopy, and the use of peroral choledochoscopy to confirm ductal clearance.

Maternal mortality in the U.S. Department of Defense, 1993-1998.

Objective: To determine the maternal mortality ratio (MMR) in Department of Defense medical facilities from 1993 to 1998.

Study Design: We conducted a retrospective review of birth data from military medical facilities using the Standard Inpatient Data Records from 1993 through 1998. The total number of live births and dispositions due to maternal death were obtained.

Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) in pregnancy without the use of radiation.

Background: Biliary disease in pregnancy is a relatively uncommon condition; the diagnosis of this condition is not standardized. Furthermore, the use of radiographic imaging studies and therapeutic approaches in pregnancy is limited because of the possibility of fetal exposure.

Study Design: During a 2-year interval of 2001 to 2002, we successfully performed endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) studies in 6 pregnant women between 6 and 30 weeks of gestation with symptomatic acute cholangitis or pancreatitis without irradiation exposure or major maternal complications.