Severe hypoplasia of the right femur, ipsilateral agenesia of the fibula and twisted right foot in a 24-week-old fetus with proximal femoral focal deficiency (PFFD).

A case of a 24-week-old fetus of non consanguineous parents with an ultrasonographic diagnosis of a short right femur, ipsilateral agenesia of the fibula and a twisted right foot is described. Cordocentesis revealed a normal 46XY karyotype. The parents were informed on treatment options and after psychological counselling they decided to undergo an abortion.

Transvaginal sonographic evaluation of endometrial polyps: a comparison with two dimensional and three dimensional contrast sonography.

Endometrial polyps are a frequent cause of menorrhagia and are often associated with infertility. Routine transvaginal (TV) ultrasound evaluation may detect intrauterine anomalies. Sonographic evaluation of the endometrium after uterine cavity distention, called hystero-sono-salpingography (HSSG), improves the resolutive effectiveness of TV sonography.

[Hysteroscopic features in postmenopausal uterine bleeding].

One hundred forty three patients underwent hysteroscopy for abnormal uterine bleeding from January 1993 through December 1994. Sixty patients were postmenopausal. All but 3 of the procedures were performed on outpatient with no significant complications.

HLA antigen sharing in Italian couples in which women were affected by gestational trophoblastic tumors.

Problem: The development of gestational trophoblastic tumors (GTT), in which genetic factors are strongly involved, is a rare event. To test the possibility that gene(s) linked to the Major histocompatibility Complex (MHC) may have a role in both embryo growth and tumor development, the HLA typing was performed on patients affected by GTT and on their partners.

Method: The study group of sixteen couples, in which the women were affected by an invasive mole or choriocarcinoma, and the control group of thirty normal fertile couples without history of spontaneous abortion or GTT were typed for class I and class II HLA antigen.

Influence of histocompatibility antigens in recurrent spontaneous abortion couples and on their reproductive performances.

Problem: To determine if human leukocyte antigens (HLA) play any role in the aetiology of recurrent spontaneous abortion (RSA), a substantial group of RSA couples were studied, and their reproductive performances in a 3-year follow-up recorded.

Methods: HLA typing was performed for HLA-A, -B, and DR antigens in both partners of 75 couples with unexplained RSA, and compared with a control group of 30 fertile couples that never experienced abortion. A further 57 couples of this group were studied for their reproductive performance in a 3-year follow-up, and subdivided into three subgroups: 1) couples that achieved successful pregnancy during the follow-up, and subdivided into three subgroups: 1) couples that achieved successful pregnancy during the follow-up; 2) couples that experienced abortion and no livebirth during the follow-up; and 3) couples that experienced infertility during the follow-up.

Rapidly progressive squamous cell carcinoma of the cervix in a patient with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome: case report.

Recent evidence suggests an association between cervical condyloma, dysplasia and HIV infection. However, the course of cervical cancer in immunodeficient patients has not yet been thoroughly researched. Cervical cancer presently amounts to 1% of the causes of death in AIDS patients.

Serum lipoperoxide level variations in normal and luteal phase defect cycles.

A luteal phase defect (LPD) is a clinical problem leading to infertility and is characterized by reduced progesterone levels during the luteal phase. Serum lipoperoxidation is an expression of cellular hypoxic damage occurring under all stress-oxidative conditions. Forty-eight consecutive infertility patients, according to the infertility class II of the WHO classification, underwent clinical observation.

Semen parameters and sperm morphology in men in unexplained recurrent spontaneous abortion, before and during a 3 year follow-up period.

To investigate the role of the 'male factor' in the pathogenesis of recurrent spontaneous abortion (RSA), especially sperm morphology abnormalities, 120 previously selected couples with unexplained RSA were studied for sperm parameters retrospectively and prospectively. The patients were subdivided into three subgroups, depending on their reproductive outcome during the 3 years of follow-up study: (i) 48 RSA couples who achieved a successful pregnancy; (ii) 39 RSA couples who experienced further abortions, and (iii) 33 RSA couples who experienced infertility during the follow-up period. A semen analysis was performed twice at the time of inclusion in this study, and twice again during the 3 year follow-up period.

Serum CA 125 and first trimester abortion.

Objective: The study was carried out to assess the clinical value of serum CA 125 in association with serum beta-human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) for predicting pregnancy outcome.

Methods: One hundred spontaneous pregnancies, 52 non-threatened pregnancies and 48 with threatened abortions, observed in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University 'La Sapienza', Rome, Italy, were evaluated during the first trimester using ultrasound examination, CA 125 and beta-hCG titrations.

Results: Threatened pregnancies had statistically significantly higher CA 125 serum values than non-threatened pregnancies, especially those with a negative outcome (P < 0.

Lag in endometrial morphology in artificially reproduced cycles (ARC).

To observe if endometrial artificially reproduced cycles were identical to the natural spontaneous ones, we have matched for the endometria of 22 assessed spontaneous ovulating women and 16 postmenopausal ones sequentially treated with exogenous ovarian steroid hormones. The endometrial samples were drawn in the middle luteal phase (20th-22nd of an ideal cycle, 6-8 days from ultrasound assessed ovulation or progesterone exposure), because this is the "implantation window" period. These results can be particularly interesting in the FIV-OD technique that implyes the implantation of the zygote in a fully matured endometrium.

[Intraepithelial cervical lesions: colpo-microcolposcopic diagnosis].

Integration of colposcopy and microcolposcopy allows to perform a complete study of eso- endo-cervix, for a diagnostic and topographic evaluation of cervical intraepithelial lesion. We have endoscopically studied 172 patients with histologically demonstrated CIN. In 218 cases (74.

[Colpo-cyto-histological correlations in intraepithelial lesions of the uterine cervix].

The aim of this study was to assess the clinical efficiency of colposcopic findings as diagnostic tests for intraepithelial lesion using the analysis of colpo-cyto-histological correlations. The results of 3340 colposcopic tests performed in the Colposcopy Unit of the Second Clinic of Obstetrics and Gynecology between March 1990 and May 1991 were analysed, taking into account 326 (9.7%) cases of Abnormal Transformation Zone (ANTZ).

[LH-RH analogues in the preparation of hysteroscopic resection of uterine fibromyoma].

Ten patients with submucous and/or intracavitary myomas, aged between 40 and 50 years old, underwent preliminary and preoperative (endoscopic resection) treatment with LH-RH. A using a depot formula. The Authors report the results of treatment efficacy (disappearance of symptoms and reduced myoma volume) in relation to an optimal surgical approach using an endoscopic route.