Summary
Revista Brasileira de Ginecologia e Obstetrícia. 2005;27(6):303-309
DOI 10.1590/S0100-72032005000600003
PURPOSE: to diagnose intrauterine growth restriction (IGR) and its connection with early neonatal morbidity and mortality, through Roher's ponderal index (PI). METHODS: this was a retrospective, descriptive study of transversal cohort, in which 2741 newborns (NB) were included, 2053 of them from healthy pregnant women, 228 from women with mild pregnancy-related hypertension, 52 from those with severe pregnancy-related hypertension, 25 from those with mild pregnancy-related hypertension that evolved to eclampsia, 136 from those with premature membrane rupture, and 247 from women who smoked along gestation. Roher's PI was calculated by the equation: PI = weight/height ³ x 100 and the values 2.25 and 3.10 of Lubchenco's 10 and 90 percentiles were used to classify the types of IGR. IGR was classified as asymmetric for NB with PI < 2.25 and weight lower than percentile 10, as symmetric, with PI from 2.25 to 3.10 and weight lower than percentile 10, and adequate for gestational age with PI from 2.25 to 3.10, and weight from 10 to 90 percentiles. Statistical analysis was performed using the non-paired t test, the non-parametric chi2 test and Fisher's exact test, with significance set at a value of p<0.05. RESULTS: low birth weight (< 2,500 g) was present in 3.6% (100/2741) of the cases, while the rate of IGR diagnosed through PI was 15.7% (430/2741), 14.0% being asymmetric and 1.7% symmetric. The most frequent complication among the asymmetric IGRNB was transient tachypnea (8.3%), followed by asphyxia (5.7%) and infection (2.6%). Transient tachypnea was present in 6.5% of symmetric IGRNB, followed by asphyxia (4.3%), meconium aspiration syndrome (2.2%), hypoglycemia (2.2%) and infection (2.2%). Early neonatal death was similar for NB with restricted IGR and adequate IGR for gestational age, both groups reaching a rate of 0.3%. CONCLUSIONS: Rohrer's PI was able to diagnose the different IGR patterns, which would not be known if the birth weight had been calculated in terms of gestational age. The asymmetric NB presented a higher incidence of transient tachypnea and asphyxia, without statistical significance in relation the other IGR patterns. The frequency of early neonatal death was similar for the asymmetric and adequate for gestational age NB groups.
Summary
Revista Brasileira de Ginecologia e Obstetrícia. 2000;22(1):19-26
DOI 10.1590/S0100-72032000000100004
Purpose: to evaluate gestational and delivery complications as risk factors for perinatal death. Methodology - Patients: the cases (perinatal deaths) were identified among a total of 3,031 deliveries from the maternity of the Rio de Janeiro State Military Police. Methods: the study design was a nested case-control one. Cases (n = 82) were perinatal deaths with a minimum gestational age of 28 weeks or a weight of 1,000 g. Controls (n = 246) were live babies for the first week of life. The analysis was made in three steps: univariate, stratified and multivariate (logistic regression). Results: the gestational complications showed an odds ratio of 4.21 and the delivery complications, 5.26. The newborn weight showed an OR = 0.999 per gram over 1,000 g weight. The gestational age showed an OR = 0.729 per week of gestation over 28 weeks. Conclusions: the gestational complications and the delivery complications were important risk factors for perinatal death. The gestational age and the weight of the newborn were important protective factors.
Summary
Revista Brasileira de Ginecologia e Obstetrícia. 2000;22(2):113-116
DOI 10.1590/S0100-72032000000200009
Takayasu's arteritis is an idiopathic occlusive inflammation of the aorta and its major branches. The disease shows a striking predilection for young women and thus is occasionally associated with pregnancy. The authors describe a case of a pregnant patient with Takayasu's arteritis. The pregnancy was accompanied by a multidisciplinary group in a satisfactory way. There was only one hospitalization due to an exacerbation of the symptoms during the 32nd week of gestation, controlled by medical treatment. A vaginal delivery occurred at 37 weeks. A live infant weighing 2,750 g was delivered and the patient had an uncomplicated course.
Summary
Revista Brasileira de Ginecologia e Obstetrícia. 2005;27(5):263-267
DOI 10.1590/S0100-72032005000500006
PURPOSE: to evaluate the influence of hyperthyroidism during pregnancy and the necessity of changing antithyroid drug dose in this period and after delivery. METHODS: prospective evaluation of clinical and laboratorial findings of thirteen pregnancies in eleven pregnant women with hyperthyroidism due to Graves' disease. These women were evaluated through TSH and serum free T4 at each trimester or four weeks after setting thionamide dosage. The goal was to maintain free T4 in the superior third of the normal range using the lowest possible thionamide dose. RESULTS: the mean age at the beginning of the pregnancy was 31.1 years (23 to 41). The mean dosage of thionamide was reduced in eight pregnancies (69.5%) and, in two, the drug was discontinued. Before pregnancy, mean propylthiouracil dose was 400 mg/day (200-900) and mean methimazole dose was 45 mg/day (20-60). After delivery, antithyroid drug dose was 200 and 30 mg/day, respectively. One patient presented premature labor (at 36 weeks) and another, a newborn small for gestational age (2.000 g at 38 weeks). There was one stillborn. There were no miscarriages or congenital anomalies. After labor, antithyroid drug dose was increased in seven patients and in the others the dose was maintained. CONCLUSIONS: we suggest close follow-up of pregnant women with hyperthyroidism and progressive reduction of thionamide dose during pregnancy to avoid maternal hypothyroidism and its consequences to fetal development. After labor, these women must be evaluated regarding their thyroid function because hyperthyroidism can worsen. Thionamide use is safe for the patients and their offspring.
Summary
Revista Brasileira de Ginecologia e Obstetrícia. 2005;27(4):197-203
DOI 10.1590/S0100-72032005000400006
PURPOSE: to apply a severity score to cases of severe maternal morbidity (SMM) and to compare the classification criteria. METHODS: a control-case study was performed as a secondary analysis of cases of SMM in a tertiary level maternity unit for a period of 12-month. A specific score for assessing the degree of severity was applied to cases identified as SMM. Twenty cases of near miss maternal morbidity (higher severity) were compared to 104 control cases (lower severity) of other severe morbidities, regarding risk factors, primary determinants and assistance requirements. Analyses were performed with means and proportions, using Student's t, Wilcoxon and chi2 statistical tests, and estimations of OR and 95% CI. RESULTS: the higher severity (near miss) was identified in 16.1% of cases and the history of abortion was the only factor statistically associated with it (OR=3.41, 95% CI 1.08-10.79). In fact, the indices of assistance complexity were more frequent in the near-miss morbidity group, which also presented less hypertension (30% against 62.5%) and more hemorrhage (35.5% against 10.6%) as primary determinant factors of severe morbidity. CONCLUSIONS: the higher severity of maternal morbidity was associated with a history of abortion and with hemorrhage as a cause. The applied score was able to identify a higher severity subgroup (near miss), which needs more complex professional and institutional care in order to avoid the occurrence of death.
Summary
Revista Brasileira de Ginecologia e Obstetrícia. 2000;22(5):257-263
DOI 10.1590/S0100-72032000000500002
Purpose: to evaluate the evolution of gestation, metabolic control and perinatal outcome of pregestational diabetic patients and to perform a comparative study of the results of patients with insulin-dependent diabetes (type I) and non-insulin-dependent diabetes (type II). Methods: retrospective analysis of 57 pregestational diabetic woman charts who began a prenatal follow-up in the Service of Maternofetal Medicine of the Maternidade-Escola Assis Chateaubriand of the Universidade Federal do Ceará, in the period from January 1995 to December 1998. The 57 pregnant women included in the study were divided into groups: the first, composed of 28 patients with insulin-dependent diabetes (type I), and the second with 29 pregnant women with non-insulin-dependent diabetes (type II), controlled with diet or with oral hypoglycemics before pregnancy. Results: there was no statistically significant difference between the two groups in relation to the need of hospitalization for glycemia control (39.2% x 27.5%) and maternal complications, such as: chronic arterial hypertension (14.2% x 27.5%), pregnancy-induced hypertension (14.2% x 17.2%), premature rupture of membranes (3.5% x 10.3%), urinary tract infection (10.7% x 6.8%), and preterm labor (3.5% x 6.8%). However, episodes of maternal hypoglycemia were more frequent among insulin-dependent patients (35.7% x 3.4%). The perinatal results were similar. We observed a great number of congenital anomalies and increased perinatal morbidity and mortality. Conclusion: there was no difference in the incidence of obstetric and clinical complications between insulin-dependent and non-insulin-dependent patients, except for maternal hypoglycemia.
Summary
Revista Brasileira de Ginecologia e Obstetrícia. 2004;26(8):633-639
DOI 10.1590/S0100-72032004000800007
PURPOSE: to check whether there were differences in some social indicators between adolescent and adult pregnant women in the city of Ribeirão Preto, from January 1992 to December 1996. METHODS: the information was obtained from hospital discharge forms and was analyzed at the Hospital Data Processing Center of the FMRP-USP. The analyzed parameters were: number and types of deliveries, category of hospital admission, occupation, and obstetric diagnosis. The 6.04a text processor Epi-Info System, a data bank and statistics of epidemiology produced by the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (Atlanta, GA, USA), and Dbase IV were used to process the information. The association between variables was tested by the chi² test, with level of significance set at 5%, using the GraphPad Prism version 2.0, 1995 software. RESULTS: a total of 43,253 deliveries occurred during this period, among which 7,134 (16.5%) corresponded to adolescent deliveries, while 36,119 (83.5%) to adult deliveries. The number of deliveries by adolescent girls increased 25.5% along this period. The proportion of adolescent deliveries in the unified health system category of admission increased, and it was higher than that of the adults'. Only 14.1% of the adolescents belonged to the economically active population, comparing with 34.8% of the adults. Only 6.8% of the adolescents were students, while 79.0% were house-workers or had a nonpaid occupation. In the analyzed period, the ratio of vaginal delivery increased among the adolescents, as compared to that of the adults. The ratio of cesarean delivery persisted stable and higher among the adults. Premature delivery and false labor were significantly more frequent among the adolescents. CONCLUSION: the number of deliveries increased among the adolescents, and most of them were normal. The ratio of admission by the unified health system category and that of vaginal delivery were higher among the adolescents. There were more adolescents without an economically active work. Thus, we recommend strategies to prevent adolescent pregnancy, mainly among the poor population.
Summary
Revista Brasileira de Ginecologia e Obstetrícia. 2004;26(7):579-582
DOI 10.1590/S0100-72032004000700011
Paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria is a rare disease caused by an acquired gene mutation of the hematopoietic system, with 16-18% of the cases diagnosed during pregnancy. We describe two cases of pregnancy in women with paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria. Maternal mortality reaches 8-10%, mainly due to thromboembolism and, less frequently, to leukemic transformation. Fetal losses may reach 30%. These two cases illustrate a serious and extremely complex situation, which is the obstetrical management of a patient with a very rare, serious and potentially fatal hematological condition. Using a multidisciplinary approach in tertiary care centers, it is possible to attain good maternal and perinatal outcomes.