Summary
Revista Brasileira de Ginecologia e Obstetrícia. 2000;22(10):615-618
DOI 10.1590/S0100-72032000001000003
SUMMARY Purpose: to evaluate the videolaparoscopic surgical mana-gement of 32 patients with ovarian endometrioma. Method: retrospective study of thirty-two patients admitted to the Gynecologic Endoscopy Section - Gynecology and Obstetrics Department of the Hospital do Servidor Público Estadual "Francisco Morato de Oliveira" - São Paulo - Brazil with clinical and ultrasonographic diagnosis of ovarian endometrioma, who have been submitted to videolaparoscopic surgery. Eleven of them had endometriomas less than 3 cm and had the tumor emptied and the capsule excised at the first laparoscopy. Twenty-one patients with endometriomas larger than 3 cm were submitted to emptying and washing of the cyst at the first laparoscopy. These women used GnRH analogues for four months (1 dose each month) and were then submitted to a second laparoscopy when the capsule was excised. Histopathologic study was performed in the surgical tissues of all cases. The early results of the procedure and the recurrence rate were evaluated. Results: there were no surgical intercurrent episodes or postsurgical complications. The problem was solved in all but three patients among the 21 with endometriomas larger than 3 cm. These patients presented recurrence of the disease within a period of 6 to 12 months. Conclusion: the videolaparoscopic surgical management of ovarian endometriomas, with capsule excision, showed good results and small number of recurrences.
Summary
Revista Brasileira de Ginecologia e Obstetrícia. 2001;23(2):83-86
DOI 10.1590/S0100-72032001000200004
Purpose: to evaluate the expression of estrogen (ER) and progesterone (PR) receptors in smears of peritoneal fluid sediment from patients with and without endometriosis. Methods: immunocytochemical study of ER and PR in smears of peritoneal fluid sediment in 19 cases with endometriosis and 7 without (control group), observing their expression. The data were submitted to Student's t-test to evaluate statistical significance. Results: in 84.6% of the cases with endometriosis, endometrial-like cells expressed ER (mean = 4.1%). In cases without endometriosis there was ER expression in 42.9%, with a mean of 4.5% (p = 0.1706). PR was expressed in only one case of endometriosis, with an endometrioma rupture history. Conclusions: there was no difference of ER expression between cases with endometriosis and the control group, in contrast to tissue behavior. Further cases must be studied for a better evaluation of this enigmatic mechanism of hormonal receptors in exfoliated cells.
Summary
Revista Brasileira de Ginecologia e Obstetrícia. 2002;24(9):579-584
DOI 10.1590/S0100-72032002000900003
Purpose: to evaluate the sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values of a clinical and an ecographic method for adenomyosis diagnosis. Methods: a transversal study of validation of the diagnostic method was done, including 95 women in menacme submitted to hysterectomy for various causes. Adenomyosis was diagnosed through a clinical method in women aged 40 years or older, with 2 or more deliveries, increased menstrual bleeding associated with dysmenorrhea. The ecographic diagnosis was established if at least one myometrial ill defined area of abnormal ecotexture was found, which could be hypoechoic, hyperchoic, heterogeneous or cystic. Gold standard was histopathology, defined as the finding of endometrial glands or stroma more than 2.5 cm above the endomiometrial junction. Results: the clinical method had 68.2% sensitivity, 78.1% specificity, 48.4% positive predictive value and 89.1% negative predictive value. For the echographic method this figures were, respectively, 45.5%, 84.9%, 47.6% and 83.8%. Likelihood ratio was 3.11 for the clinical and 3.03 for the echographic method. Considering only those simultaneously positive cases by both methods, sensitivity was below 30% and specificity was near 100%. Considering all positive cases by one or the other method or concomitanty by both, the sensitivity reached 86% and specificity was 60%. Conclusion: the echographic method was not better than the clinical for the diagnosis of adenomyosis.
Summary
Revista Brasileira de Ginecologia e Obstetrícia. 2002;24(6):371-376
DOI 10.1590/S0100-72032002000600003
Purpose: to evaluate the effect of previous ovarian surgery for endometriosis on the ovarian response in assisted reproduction treatment cycles and its pregnancy outcome. Methods: a total of 61 women, with primary infertility and previous ovarian surgery for endometriosis, submitted to 74 in vitro fertilization/intracytoplasmic spermatozoid injection (IVF/ICSI) cycles, were studied (study group). A further 74 patients with primary infertility who underwent 77 IVF/ICSI cycles within the same period of time, at the same clinic and without previous ovarian surgery or endometriosis were studied as control group. Patients were matched for age and performed treatment. The groups were compared regarding number of ampoules used for superovulation, duration of folliculogenesis, number of follicles, number of oocytes, fertilization and pregnancy rate. IVF started with long protocol GnRHa for pituitary suppression followed by superovulation. After oocyte collection, in vitro insemination or sperm injection was performed and embryos were transferred from day 2 to day 5. Results: patients <35 years with previous ovarian surgery had less oocytes retrieved than the patients of the control group (p=0.049). Number of ampoules used for superovulation, duration of folliculogenesis, number of follicles, and fertilization rate were similar in both groups. The same was observed for pregnancy rates, as 24 patients (53.3%) with previous ovarian surgery and 27 (56.2%) of the control group became pregnant. Patients >35 years with previous ovarian surgery needed more ampoules for superovulation (p=0.017) and had less follicles and oocytes than women of the control group (p=0.001). Duration of folliculogenesis was similar in both groups, as was fertilization rate. A total of 10 patients achieved pregnancy in the study group (34.5%) and 14 (48.3%) in the control group. Conclusion: ovarian surgery for endometriosis reduced the ovarian outcome in IVF/ICSI cycles in women >35 years old, and might also decrease pregnancy rates. Therefore, we believe that for infertile patients, a conservative treatment might be a better option to avoid the reduction of ovarian response.
Summary
Revista Brasileira de Ginecologia e Obstetrícia. 2002;24(2):93-99
DOI 10.1590/S0100-72032002000200004
Purpose: to evaluate the correlation between the laparoscopic aspects and the stromal histologic findings of peritoneal endometriosis in order to understand the evolutive theory of endometriosis. Methods: sixty-seven women were submitted to laparoscopy for pelvic pain, infertility, ovarian tumor and other pathologies. A peritoneal biopsy was taken from the typical (puckered black) and atypical endometriotic implants. The different aspects of endometriosis were classified as follows: red lesions (Group V), black lesions (Group N) and white lesions (Group B). The histological sections were examined according to a standardized protocol. The histologic parameters used were: depth of the lesion, presence of hemosiderin, vascularization of the stroma and fibrotic tissue in stroma. Results: regarding lesion depth, there were significant differences between the groups. Red lesions were located consistently on the surface of the peritoneum (100%) and black lesions were superficial in 55.6%, intermediate in 38.9% and deep in 5.5%. White lesions were superficial in 28%, intermediate in 68% and deep in 4%. The presence of hemosiderin showed equivalent results in the 3 groups. The large stromal vascularization was present in the red lesions (60%), which a statistically significant difference compared to the other groups. Fibrotic tissue was present in 70.6% of the white lesions (group B), a fact that was significantly different when compared to groups V and N. Conclusion: the parameters analyzed in this study confirmed the importance of the evolutive theory of endometriosis.