Background: Occiput-posterior (OP) position is associated with labor arrest, need of operative delivery and failed instrumental vaginal delivery with resulting adverse peripartum outcomes. Vacuum extraction (VE) is the most commonly performed type of instrumental delivery worldwide. This study aimed to investigate the outcome of VE in fetuses with sonographically confirmed OP position prior to the procedure.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEur J Obstet Gynecol Reprod Biol
December 2024
Second stage of labor is considered to be associated with an increased risk of intrapartum fetal hypoxic injury. This is due to a combination of several risk factors such as -the increased frequency, strength and duration of uterine contractions due to higher number and affinity of myometrial oxytocin receptors; -the Ferguson's reflex which leads to a reflex release of endogenous oxytocin in response of the distension of the cervix by descending fetal head in late stages of labor; maternal expulsive efforts with the Valsalva manoeuvre that may reduce maternal oxygenation, as well as reduce the venous return and maternal cardiac output due to increased intrathoracic pressure, winch may lead to reduced placental oxygenation; - and increased fetal intracranial pressure due to head compression leading to a potential decrease in fetal cerebral oxygenation. In addition, the umbilical cord often forms one or more loops around the fetal neck, which may get tightened as the head descends leading to an acute and intermittent cessation of fetal oxygenation.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjective: The aim of this systematic review is to summarize the current evidence on preventive interventions and bundles, including combinations of multiple techniques, aimed at reducing vaginal delivery-related perineal injury.
Methods: A systematic research of literature was independently conducted on different databases (PubMed, MEDLINE, EMBASE) by the authors, using a combination of the identified keywords and index terms as per current PRISMA guidelines. The research was restricted to papers published in English starting by 2000.
Objective: To compare the sonographic measurement of the umbilical cord between women with or without repetitive decelerations during the first stage of labor.
Study Design: Prospective study including a non-consecutive cohort of women at term gestation carrying a normal sized fetus at term in cephalic presentation. The cross-sectional area of the umbilical cord, of its vessels and the amount of the Wharton's jelly were assessed at 2D ultrasound upon labor admission.
Novel Insights Continuous intrapartum fetal heart rate assessment by fetal scalp electrode may record arrythmias like recurrent atrial ectopic beats and depict an increased fetal heart rate variability mimicking a ZigZag pattern. Introduction Fetal scalp electrode (FSE) is considered the gold standard for the intrapartum monitoring of the fetal heart rate (FHR) being associated with the lowest rate of signal loss and artifacts including the recording of the maternal heart rate. FSE acquires a fetal electrocardiogram and evaluates the time intervals between successive R waves.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjectives: To investigate the interobserver agreement among midwives for the interpretation of intrapartum CTG traces, using both the 2015 FIGO guidelines and the physiology-based guidelines.
Material And Methods: Retrospective, single-center, observational study conducted at the Maternity Hospital of the University of Parma, Italy, between November 2022 and July 2023. We selected 100 nonconsecutive intrapartum CTG traces from women undergoing operative delivery (cesarean or instrumental vaginal delivery).
Eur J Obstet Gynecol Reprod Biol
November 2024
The first international consensus guideline on physiological interpretation of cardiotocograph (CTG) produced by 44 CTG experts from 14 countries was published in 2018. This guideline ensured a paradigm shift from classifying CTG by arbitrarily grouping certain features of the fetal heart rate into different "categories", and then, randomly combining them to arrive at an overall classification of CTG traces into "Normal, Suspicious and Pathological" (or Category I, II and III) to a classification which is based on the understanding of fetal pathophysiology. The guideline recommended the recognition of different types of fetal hypoxia, and the determination of features of fetal compensatory responses as well as decompensation to ongoing hypoxic stress on the CTG trace.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIntroduction: Speckle tracking echocardiography is a non-Doppler modality allowing the semiautomated evaluation of the fetal cardiac function by tracking the speckles of the endocardial borders. Little evidence is available on the evaluation and comparison of different software for the functional assessment of the fetal heart by means of speckle tracking echocardiography. The aim of this study was to evaluate the reproducibility and agreement of two different proprietary speckle tracking software for the prenatal semiautomated assessment of the fetal cardiac function.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjectives: To develop a deep learning (DL)-model using convolutional neural networks (CNN) to automatically identify the fetal head position at transperineal ultrasound in the second stage of labor.
Material And Methods: Prospective, multicenter study including singleton, term, cephalic pregnancies in the second stage of labor. We assessed the fetal head position using transabdominal ultrasound and subsequently, obtained an image of the fetal head on the axial plane using transperineal ultrasound and labeled it according to the transabdominal ultrasound findings.
Relative uteroplacental insufficiency of labor (RUPI-L) is a clinical condition that refers to alterations in the fetal oxygen "demand-supply" equation caused by the onset of regular uterine activity. The term RUPI-L indicates a condition of "relative" uteroplacental insufficiency which is relative to a specific stressful circumstance, such as the onset of regular uterine activity. RUPI-L may be more prevalent in fetuses in which the ratio between the fetal oxygen supply and demand is already slightly reduced, such as in cases of subclinical placental insufficiency, post-term pregnancies, gestational diabetes, and other similar conditions.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjectives: Although frequently employed in the delivery room, current guidelines do not recommend the use of ultrasound in the setting of postpartum hemorrhage (PPH). The aim of this survey was to evaluate the routine use of ultrasonography during PPH.
Methods: A questionnaire, composed by a series of questions that assess participant characteristics and ultrasound use during PPH, was sent to members of the Italian Society of Ultrasound in Obstetrics and Gynecology currently employed in obstetrical units.
Monitoring and timing of delivery in preterm preeclampsia and fetal growth restriction is one of the biggest challenges in Obstetrics. Finding the optimal time of delivery of these fetuses usually involves a trade-off between the severity of the disease and prematurity. So far, most clinical guidelines recommend the use of a combination between clinical, laboratory and ultrasound markers to guide the time of delivery.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEndometriosis is a benign condition affecting women of reproductive age. A potential association with ovarian cancer has been documented. Atypical endometriosis (AE) is characterized by deviations from the typical microscopic appearance of endometriosis, including cytologic and architectural atypia.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFRadiofrequency Echographic Multi Spectrometry (REMS) is a radiation-free, portable technology, which can be used for the assessment and monitoring of osteoporosis at the lumbar spine and femoral neck and may facilitate wider access to axial BMD measurement compared with standard dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA).There is a growing literature demonstrating a strong correlation between DXA and REMS measures of BMD and further work supporting 5-year prediction of fracture using the REMS Fragility Score, which provides a measure of bone quality (in addition to the quantitative measure of BMD).The non-ionising radiation emitted by REMS allows it to be used in previously underserved populations including pregnant women and children and may facilitate more frequent measurement of BMD.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjectives: Use of ultrasonography has been suggested as an accurate adjunct to clinical evaluation of fetal position and station during labor. There are no available reports concerning its actual use in delivery wards. The aim of this survey was to evaluate the current practice regarding the use of ultrasonography during labor.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMosaic chromosomal anomalies arising in the product of conception and the final fetal chromosomal arrangement are expression of complex biological mechanisms. The rescue of unbalanced chromosome with selection of the most viable cell line/s in the embryo and the unfavourable imbalances in placental tissues was documented in our previous paper and in the literature. We report four additional cases with mosaic derivative chromosomes in different feto-placental tissues, further showing the instability of an intermediate gross imbalance as a frequent mechanism of de novo cryptic deletions and duplications.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAm J Obstet Gynecol MFM
May 2024
Background: Despite major advances in the pharmacologic treatment of hypertension in the nonpregnant population, treatments for hypertension in pregnancy have remained largely unchanged over the years. There is recent evidence that a more adequate control of maternal blood pressure is achieved when the first given antihypertensive drug is able to correct the underlying hemodynamic disorder of the mother besides normalizing the blood pressure values.
Objective: This study aimed to compare the blood pressure control in women receiving an appropriate or inappropriate antihypertensive therapy following the baseline hemodynamic findings.
Minimally Invasive Surgery (MIS) represents a safe and feasible option for the surgical treatment of gynecologic malignancies, offering benefits, including reduced blood loss, lower complications, and faster recovery, without compromising oncological outcomes in selected patients. MIS is widely accepted in early-stage gynecologic malignancies, including endometrial cancer, cervical tumors measuring 2 cm or less, and early-stage ovarian cancer, considering the risk of surgical spillage. Despite its advantages, MIS does not rule out the possibility of adverse events such as postoperative infections.
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