Summary
Revista Brasileira de Ginecologia e Obstetrícia. 2020;42(4):200-210
The present study is a systematic review of the literature to assess whether the presence of endometriosis determines or contributes to adverse obstetric outcomes.
The present work was carried out at the Hospital Israelita Albert Einstein, São Paulo, state of São Paulo, Brazil, in accordance to the PRISMA methodology for systematic reviews. A review of the literature was performed using PubMed, Web of Science and Scopus databases. The keywords used were: pregnancy outcome, pregnancy complications, obstetrical complications, obstetrics, obstetric outcomes and endometriosis. The survey was further completed by a manually executed review of cross-referenced articles, which was last performed on November 30, 2018.
The survey disclosed a total of 2,468 articles, published from May 1946 to October 2017. A total of 18 studies were selected to be further classified according to their quality and relevance.
The Newcastle-Ottawa Quality Assessment Scale was used for classification. Five studies of greater impact and superior evidence quality and 13 studies of moderate evidence quality were selected. We analyzed the studies for the characteristics of their patients plus how endometriosis was diagnosed and their respective obstetric outcomes taking into account their statistical relevance.
Analyses of the higher impact and better quality studies have shown high incidence of preterm birth and placenta previa in patients with endometriosis.
Placenta previa and preterm birth are the most statistically significant outcomes related to endometriosis, as indicated by our systematic review. The present information is useful to alert obstetricians and patients about possible unfavorable obstetric outcomes.
Summary
Revista Brasileira de Ginecologia e Obstetrícia. 2020;42(2):74-80
To evaluate the impact of the presence of criteria for severe maternal morbidity and maternal near miss associated with hypertensive disorders on maternal and perinatal outcomes in a maternity school.
The present is a sub-analysis of a larger study involving 27 centers in Brazil that estimated the prevalence of serious maternal morbidity and near miss. It is an analytical and cross-sectional study with a quantitative approach, involving 928 women who were cared for at Maternidade Escola Assis Chateaubriand (MEAC, in Portuguese), Universidade Federal do Ceará (UFC, in Portuguese), from July 2009 to June 2010. The women were diagnosed with near miss according to the World Health Organization (WHO) criteria. The sample was divided into 2 groups: patients with (n = 827) and without hypertension (n = 101). The results were considered statistically significant when p < 0.05. The Pearson chi-squared and Fisher Exact tests were used for the categorical variables, and the Mann–Whitney U test was used for the continuous variables.
In total, 51 participants with maternal near miss criteria were identified, and 36 of them had hypertensive disorders. Of these, 5 died and were obviously excluded from the near miss final group. In contrast, we observed 867 cases with non-near miss maternal morbidity criteria. During this period, there were 4,617 live births (LBs) in the institution that was studied.
In the severe morbidity/maternal near miss population, the presence of hypertensive complications was prevalent, constituting a risk factor for both the mother and the fetus.
Summary
Revista Brasileira de Ginecologia e Obstetrícia. 2019;41(4):230-235
To assess the perinatal and maternal outcomes of pregnant women with cystic fibrosis (CF) and severe lung impairment.
This was a series of cases aiming to review the maternal and fetal outcomes in cases of singleton pregnant women with a diagnosis of CF. We have included all of the cases of singleton pregnancy in patients with CF who were followed-up at the obstetrics department of the Medical School of the Universidade de São Paulo, between 2003 and 2016. The exclusion criteria were the unattainability of the medical records of the patient, and delivery at other institutions. A forced expiratory volume in 1 second < 50% was considered as severe lung impairment. We have also analyzed data regarding maternal hospitalization and respiratory exacerbations (REs).
Pregnant women with CF and severe lung impairment did not present an association with spontaneous prematurity, fetal growth restriction or fetal demise. All of the cases involved multiple RE episodes requiring antibiotic therapy. The median (range) of events per patient was of 4 (2-4) events.
Cystic fibrosis patients with severe lung impairment may achieve successful term pregnancies. However, pregnancies of women with CF are frequently complicated by REs, and this population may require hospital admission during the course of the pregnancy. Cystic fibrosis patients should be followed by a specialized team with experience in treating respiratory diseases.
Summary
Revista Brasileira de Ginecologia e Obstetrícia. 2019;41(4):268-272
Heterotopic pregnancy (HP) is defined as the simultaneous development of an intra- and an extra uterine gestation. The occurrence of a spontaneous triplet HP is an exceptionally rare medical condition. We report the case of a young woman with spontaneous heterotopic triplets at 8weeks of gestation, with amisdiagnosis of topic twins and acute appendicitis. The ectopic tubal pregnancy was ruptured and a salpingectomy was performed by laparotomy. The intrauterine pregnancy progressed uneventfully. The two healthy babies were delivery by cesarean section at 36 ± 2 weeks of gestation. Heterotopic triplets with ruptured tubal ectopic pregnancy represent a special diagnostic and therapeutic challenge for the obstetrician. A high rate of clinical suspicion and timely treatment by laparotomy or laparoscopy can preserve the intrauterine gestation with a successful outcome of the pregnancy.
Summary
Revista Brasileira de Ginecologia e Obstetrícia. 2019;41(3):199-202
Angiomyolipomas (AMLs) are rare benign tumors derived from mesenchymal tissue and composed of varying degrees of adipose tissue, muscle and blood vessels. Renal AMLs (RAMLs) are the result of a sporadic event, and, in most of cases, the diagnosis is usually incidental, but hemorrhage and shock may be present. During pregnancy, the size of AMLs may increase and they may rupture, probably due to the high expression of hormone receptors, and the increase in maternal circulation and abdominal pressure. The authors present a case of a woman with ruptured RAML submitted to urgent endovascular treatment four days after giving birth by cesarean section.
Summary
Revista Brasileira de Ginecologia e Obstetrícia. 2018;40(7):384-389
The main objective of this study was to examine the diagnostic performance of the first-trimester combined test for aneuploidies in unselected pregnancies from Rio de Janeiro and compare it with the examples available in the literature.
We investigated 3,639 patients submitted to aneuploidy screening from February 2009 to September 2015. The examination is composed of the Fetal Medicine Foundation risk evaluation based on nuchal translucency evaluation, mother’s age, presence of risk factors, presence of the nasal bone and Doppler of the ductus venous in addition to biochemical analysis of pregnancy-associated plasma protein A (PAPP-A) and beta-human chorionic gonadotropin (β-hCG) markers. The cut-off point for high risk for aneuploidies was defined as greater than 1:100, with intermediate risk defined between 1:100 and 1:1,000, and low risk defined as less than 1:1,000. The variable aneuploidy was considered as a result not only of trisomy of chromosome 21 but also trisomy of chromosomes 13 and 18.
Excluding the losses, the results of 2,748 patients were analyzed. The firsttrimester combined test achieved 71.4% sensitivity with a 7.4% false-positive (FP) rate, specificity of 92.6%, positive predictive value (PPV) of 6.91% and negative predictive value (NPV) of 99.76%, when the cut-off point considered was greater than 1:1,000. Through a receiving operating characteristics (ROC) curve, the cut-off point that maximized the sensitivity and specificity for the diagnosis of aneuploidies was defined as 1:1,860. When we adjusted the false-positive (FP) rate to 5%, the detection rate for this analysis is 72.7%, with a cut-off point of 1:610.
The combined test of aneuploidy screening showed a detection rate inferior to those described in the literature for a higher FP rate.
Summary
Revista Brasileira de Ginecologia e Obstetrícia. 2018;40(6):372-376
Parvovirus B19 has tropism for red line blood cells, causing immune hydrops during pregnancy. A positive anti-Kell Coombs reaction usually happens during pregnancy when there is production of antibodies that target Kell antigens, but cross reactions to other antigens may occur. A 24-year-old Gypsy primigravida, 0 Rhesus positive, presented with persistent isolated hyperthermia for 2 weeks and a positive indirect Coombs test result with anti-Kell antibodies at routine tests. She had a 19-week live fetus. The blood tests revealed bicytopenia with iron deficiency anemia, leucopoenia with neutropenia, and elevated C-reactive protein. She was medicated with imipenem, and had a slow clinical recovery. Blood, urine and sputum samples were taken to perform cultures and to exclude other systemic infections. Escherichia coli was isolated in the urine, which most probably caused a transient cross anti-Kell reaction. Haemophilus influenza in the sputum and seroconversion to parvovirus B19 was confirmed, causing unusual deficits in the white cells, culminating in febrile neutropenia. Despite the patient’s lack of compliance to the medical care, both maternal and fetal/neonatal outcomes were good. This a rare case report of 2 rare phenomena, a cross anti-Kell reaction to E. coli and parvovirus B19 infection with tropism for white cells causing febrile neutropenia, both events occurring simultaneously during pregnancy.