Summary
Revista Brasileira de Ginecologia e Obstetrícia. 1999;21(4):193-200
DOI 10.1590/S0100-72031999000400003
Purpose: to evaluate the efficacy of cytology and colposcopy-directed biopsy to distinguish preclinical invasive cervical carcinoma from intraepithelial lesions. Patients and Methods: 441 patients submitted to conization, hysterectomy and Wertheim-Meigs operation from 1978 to 1995 in the University Hospital "Clementino Fraga Filho", Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Cervical Pathology Outpatient Clinic. We estimated sensitivity, specificity, predictive values, likelihood ratio and confidence intervals of each study, which were divided into four classes: 1) normal and inflammatory; 2) mild and moderate dysplasias; 3) severe dysplasia and carcinoma in situ; 4) microcarcinoma and invasive carcinoma. Biopsies were analyzed as a whole and separated in accordance with the type of the colposcopic result (satisfactory and unsatisfactory). Results: cytology has shown sensitivity of 50%, specificity of 89%, positive predictive value of 63% and negative predictive value of 82%. The likelihood ratios were 4.4 for stromal invasion diagnosis, 0.7 for severe dysplasia and carcinoma in situ, 0.1 for mild and moderate dysplasia, 2.2 for normal and inflammatory report and 0.6 for the negative results for invasion as a whole. Satisfactory colposcopic guided biopsy white a visible lesion showed sensitivity of 59%, specificity of 100% positive predictive value of 100% and negative predictive value of 83%. Likelyohood ratios were: tending to infinity for invasion, 0.5 for severe dysplasia and carcinoma in situ, zero for mild and moderate dysplasia, zero for negative and inflammatory and 0.4 for all negative results for invasion.
Summary
Revista Brasileira de Ginecologia e Obstetrícia. 1999;21(7):401-405
DOI 10.1590/S0100-72031999000700006
Purpose: to investigate if the addition of a cotton "swab" to the Ayre spatula and its previous moistening with physiologic saline solution increase the obtention of endocervical cells in colpocytologic smears. Methods: a random and single-blind diagnostic study was performed, involving three techniques of collection (Ayre spatula, combination of Ayre-dry cotton swab spatula and combination of Ayre-moist cotton swab spatula). A total of 307 smears prepared by Medicine students and residents of Gynecology and Obstetrics were evaluated. Results: there was no significant increase in the number of endocervical cells (columnar and/or metaplastic), obtained with the addition of dry swab (p = 0.2) or with the addition of a moistened swab (p = 0.8). Conclusions: the author concluded that mainly when the collections were performed by trainee professionals and in the absence of other more effective endocervical collecting device, it is more economical to use only the Ayre spatula to prepare the smear.
Summary
Revista Brasileira de Ginecologia e Obstetrícia. 1999;21(9):555-559
DOI 10.1590/S0100-72031999000900009
Purpose: high parity and/or young age at first sexual intercourse have been reported as risk factors for cervical cancer development. Actually, little research has been devoted to these risk factors. The aim of the present study was to analyze the parity and age at first sexual intercourse in women with invasive cervical cancer. Methods: we have retrospectively studied the age at first sexual intercourse and parity of 362 women with invasive cervical cancer diagnosed at the Outpatient Clinic of Oncological Gynecology of the "Faculdade de Medicina do Triângulo Mineiro" from 1978 to 1995. The cases were analyzed according to the date of diagnosis and divided into three groups: from 1978 to 1983 with 65 cases, from 1984 to 1989 with 127 cases and from 1990 to 1995 with 170 cases. Results: the results showed that high parity (4 or more births) diminished from the first to the third period (82, 67.3 and 63.8%, respectively) (p<0.02, chi² test). The first sexual intercourse before 18 years occurred respectively in 59.2, 54.5 and 55.5% of the patients (p, not significant). Conclusions: it was concluded that high parity seems to be related to invasive cervical cancer, although in recent years the parity decreased. The first sexual intercourse occurred before the age of 18 years in the patients of the three periods.
Summary
Revista Brasileira de Ginecologia e Obstetrícia. 2004;26(2):147-151
DOI 10.1590/S0100-72032004000200010
PURPOSE: to assess the length of the uterine cervix by transvaginal ultrasonography in pregnant women with preterm premature rupture of membranes. METHODS: the study group (Ge) consisted of 26 pregnant women with gestational age between 24 and 36 weeks and the control group (Gc) of 49 clinically normal patients at the same gestational age. The patients were evaluated between the 24th to 28th, 28th to 32th and 32th to 36th weeks. The groups were divided into subgroups Ge24-28, Ge28-32, Ge32-36 and Gc24-28, Gc28-32, Gc32-36, according to the study or control group. The cervix length was measured by transvaginal ultrasonography as the linear distance between the internal and external cervical os. RESULTS: we observed significant differences in cervix length between Ge24-28 and Gc24-28 groups whose values were, respectively, 24.3 and 33.0 mm (p=0.04), and between Ge32-36 and Gc32-36, 20.1 and 28.0 mm, respectively (p=0.005). The latency periods of Ge24-28, Ge28-32 and Ge32-36 were, respectively, seven, five and three days, showing a positive correlation with cervix length (r=0.66) and a negative correlation with gestational age (r=-0.27). CONCLUSIONS: the length of the uterine cervix varied with the gestational age when premature preterm rupture of the membranes was detected, with the length being shorter in the study group than in the control group betweeen the 24th and 28th and 32th and 36th weeks. In addition, it was demonstrated that, the shorter the cervix length, the shorter the latency time, with a reduction in the latency period with increasing gestational age at the time of rupture.
Summary
Revista Brasileira de Ginecologia e Obstetrícia. 2003;25(9):661-666
DOI 10.1590/S0100-72032003000900007
PURPOSE: to present the most frequent gynecologic results in a cohort of 300 outpatient HIV-infected women. METHODS: this is a prospective and descriptive study of HIV-infected women that have been followed up at the gynecological clinic from November 1996 to December 2002. These patients were subjected to a specific protocol which included an interview, a gynecological evaluation and a collecting cervical sample for Pap smear, research of HPV (PCR) and colposcopy. Cervical biopsy was performed when necessary. Data were stored and analyzed by Epi-Info, version 6.0. RESULTS: the mean age was 34.5 years. The small number of sexual partners, average of three partners, and the predominance of heterosexual contagion should be mentioned: 271 (90.6%) patients were contaminated through sexual contact with their partners. There was a high prevalence of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) representing 21.7% of the total group. Of 109 patients subjected to PCR, 89 (81.7%) were found to have some HPV genotype. An inflammatory smear was present in 69% of the patients. CONCLUSIONS: there is a high frequency of CIN and genital infectious diseases among HIV-infected women, mainly HPV.
Summary
Revista Brasileira de Ginecologia e Obstetrícia. 2003;25(3):193-200
DOI 10.1590/S0100-72032003000300008
PURPOSE: to evaluate the diagnostic procedures used in women with Pap smear result of atypical glandular cells. PATIENTS AND METHODS: a prospective study with 159 women with atypical glandular cells was carried out between January and December 2000. All women were submitted to a new colpocytology and to colposcopy. Directed biopsy was performed in 50 cases, endocervical curettage in 21 and conization in 75. The performance of the diagnostic procedures was described by estimating the sensitivity, specificity, predictive values and likelihood ratio, considering histological results as gold standard. RESULTS: the histological evaluation showed 51 intraepithelial squamous lesions, 29 low grade and 22 high grade. Five women presented in situ adenocarcinoma and six patients presented invasive neoplasias. Colpocytology alone showed sensitivity and specificity of 88.5 and 39%, respectively, and colposcopy alone, 74 and 42%. The association of colpocytology with colposcopy increased the sensitivity to 98.4%, with a significantly lower specificity of 10%. Endocervical curettage showed low sensitivity (25%). CONCLUSION: the presence of atypical glandular cells on colpocytology was associated with preinvasive and invasive cervical lesions in 62.2% of the cases with histological evaluation. Repeating colpocytology and performing colposcopy allowed to select the women who needed histological evaluation. Conization was an adequate procedure when examination continued to show morphologic alterations.
Summary
Revista Brasileira de Ginecologia e Obstetrícia. 2000;22(10):633-639
DOI 10.1590/S0100-72032000001000006
Purpose: to evaluate the risk of preterm delivery using the fetal fibronectin test and the measurement of the cervix by transvaginal ultrasonography in pregnant women with previous preterm delivery. Methods: one hundred and seven women were enrolled in the study at 24th, 28thand 32ndweek to detect the presence of fetal fibronectin by immediate-reading membrane test and to perform vaginal ultrasonography to measure the length of the cervix between the internal and external cervical os. The cervix was considered to be short when the cervical length was at or below the cutoff set by the receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) curve for prediction of preterm delivery. Sonographic cervical length and fetal fibronectin were compared to assess the risk of preterm birth before 34 and 37 weeks. Results: the spontaneous preterm delivery rate was 37.4% (40/107). The analysis made by the ROC curve indicated 30 mm as the best cutoff to maximize sensitivity and specificity at 24 and 28 weeks and 25 mm at 32 weeks of gestation. The positive test of fetal fibronectin had a significant relative risk (RR: 1.77; 95% confidence interval (IC): 1.10-2.84) to predict delivery before 37 weeks, when compared with a negative test, only at 28 weeks. The presence of short cervix at 24, 28 and 32 weeks showed a significative RR for birth before 37 weeks. The highest RR occurred with a short cervix at 24 weeks (RR: 4.42; 95% CI: 1.25-15.56). Conclusion: we concluded that the measurement of uterine cervix by vaginal ultrasonography is better than the fetal fibronectin test for evaluating the risk of preterm delivery in women with previous preterm delivery.
Summary
Revista Brasileira de Ginecologia e Obstetrícia. 2000;22(9):573-577
DOI 10.1590/S0100-72032000000900006
Purpose: to verify the frequency of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) ¾ infected women. Methods: ninety-nine HIV-seropositive women were studied. The diagnosis of the HIV infection was established through two ELISA tests complemented by Western blot test or indirect immunofluorescence test. As control group, 104 women whose ELISA test was not positive were analyzed. The investigation of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia was achieved by association of Pap smear and colposcopy in both groups. In the cases where colposcopy revealed existence of abnormal transformation zones, NIC diagnosis was obtained through colposcopy-guided biopsy complemented or not by conization. Results: cervical intraepithelial neoplasia was found in 15 of the 99 patients (15.2%), and among them there were ten NIC I, one NIC II and four NIC III. Among the 104 women of the control group, four presented cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (3.8%), one being NIC I and three NIC III. Conclusion: the comparative analysis of the results showed that the frequency of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia was significantly higher among those patients infected with HIV.