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(1):27-32
DOI 10.1590/S0100-72032000000100005
Purpose: to identify and quantify the underreporting of maternal mortality, from death certificates (DC) in Campinas, São Paulo, from 1992 to 1994. Methods: a total of 216 DC whose causes of death were maternal (declared and/or presumed) were selected among the 1032 DC of 10 to 49-year-old women. A complementary investigation was performed on hospital records, at the death verifying units, and in households. Results: eight additional maternal deaths were identified among the 204 DC with presumed maternal death. This corresponded to an underreporting rate of 40% or to a correction factor of 1.67 for the official MMR. The first cause of underreporting was abortion (71.5% or 05/07) and indirect maternal deaths represented the second cause (66.6% or 02/03). Conclusions: the death certificate cannot be considered the only source to identify maternal death. Complementary investigation of the presumable causes of maternal death should be performed. Legislation, social and religious factors might influence the underreporting of abortion as the cause of maternal death.
Summary
Revista Brasileira de Ginecologia e Obstetrícia. 2000;22(1):43-48
DOI 10.1590/S0100-72032000000100008
Purpose: to analyze the prevalence of genuine urinary incontinence (GUI) recurrence, after at least two years of follow-up, in different surgical techniques used for its correction. Patients and Methods: fifty-five patients with diagnosis of GUI, submitted to surgery for its repair at the Serviço de Ginecologia e Obstetrícia do Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre from 1992 to 1996 and whose post-surgical follow-up was superior to 2 years were divided into three groups according to the surgical approach: Kelly-Kennedy (n = 24), Burch (n = 23) and Marshall-Marchetti-Krantz (n = 8). Results: there were no differences regarding recurrence rate, age at surgery and at recurrence time, estrogen therapy, number of pregnancies and vaginal delivery (p>0.05). Although posterior perineoplasty was more prevalent in the Kelly-Kennedy group, it did not influence the recurrence rate. The group submitted to the Burch approach had more years of menopause at the time of surgery. Conclusion: the recurrence rates of urinary incontinence comparing the three different techniques (Kelly-Kennedy, Burch and Marshall-Marchetti-Krantz) were, respectively, 29.2, 39.1 and 50%, which did not differ statistically. Considering the potential confusional bias for urinary stress incontinence, they did not differ among the groups. Nevertheless, we noticed that all women who had previous surgery presented recurrence of incontinence.
Summary
Revista Brasileira de Ginecologia e Obstetrícia. 2000;22(1):49-54
DOI 10.1590/S0100-72032000000100009
Purpose: to compare patients with genuine stress incontinence (GSI) who were submitted to a pelvic floor exercise program (PFEP) with those who were submitted to a pelvic floor electrical stimulation (PFES). Methods: fourteen GSI patients, with age between 31-64 years, participated in the study. They were divided into two groups of 7 each. PFEP or PFES was performed for 10 days. The women were evaluated at the first consultation and reevaluated after the ten-day treatment by only one physical therapist. For the statistical analysis nonparametric tests were used. Results: all had a partial or a total improvement of the GSI after the treatment, considering the subjective and objective analysis of the research. Conclusion: both PFEP and PFES showed to be effective to treat GSI, although PFEP showed a tendency to be the better treatment.
Summary
Revista Brasileira de Ginecologia e Obstetrícia. 2000;22(1):13-17
DOI 10.1590/S0100-72032000000100003
Purpose: to determine magnesium sulfate effectiveness to prevent eclamptic seizures in pregnant women diagnosed with preeclampsia. Methods: a case-control study involving 489 pregnant patients admitted to the Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre (HCPA) with the diagnosis of hypertension between January 1990 and January 1997. The patients were divided into two groups: those who received magnesium sulfate (Group I) and those who did not (Group II). All patients were treated according to the hospital's standard protocol for the treatment of hypertensive pregnant women. The following variables were assessed: maternal age, race, number of seizures, number of seizures in patients receiving magnesium sulfate, period of magnesium sulfate administration, before and after delivery, maternal mortality, need of ICU care, need of mechanical ventilation and length of hospital stay after delivery. Data were assessed with Epi-Info 6.0 statistical package, using multivariate analysis. The main outcome measure was magnesium sulfate use. Results: no differences were found between the two groups in terms of maternal age, race or gestational age. Women who received magnesium sulfate had a higher mean systolic and diastolic blood pressure. Women in the intervention group had a longer hospital stay and a greater need of ICU care. Need of mechanical ventilation and maternal mortality were similar in the two groups. Twenty-two out of 353 women had one or more seizures before admission to the hospital. Six women (27.3%) had one or two additional seizures after magnesium sulfate administration. No subjects had three or more seizures after receiving magnesium sulfate. Conclusion: the results show that eclamptic seizures can be prevented by routine prophylactic magnesium sulfate administration.
Summary
Revista Brasileira de Ginecologia e Obstetrícia. 2000;22(1):33-36
DOI 10.1590/S0100-72032000000100006
Purpose: to evaluate the morphologic and morphometric alterations produced by tamoxifen and conjugated estrogens in the mammary epithelium of rats in persistent estrus. Methods: thirty-three adult female rats in persistent estrus induced with 1.25 mg testosterone propionate were divided at random into three groups: GI -- which received only water, control group (n = 12); GII -- treated with 500 mug tamoxifen daily (n = 10); GIII -- treated with 30 mug conjugated estrogens per day (n = 11). The first inguinal-abdominal pair of mammary glands of the animals was extirpated and processed for morphologic and morphometric study. Data were analyzed statistically by the Kruskal-Wallis rank analysis of variance (p < 0.05). Results: the morphologic study revealed signs of epithelial atrophy and the morphometric study showed a statistically significant reduction in the mean number of ducts and alveoli in groups II (10.1 and 1.9, respectively) and III (11.1 and 3.5, respectively) compared to group I (25.0 and 6.6, respectively). There was no significant difference between groups II and III. Conclusions: the results of this study indicate that tamoxifen as well as conjugated estrogens at the tested doses produced mammary epithelial atrophy in rats in persistent estrus.
Summary
Revista Brasileira de Ginecologia e Obstetrícia. 2000;22(1):37-41
DOI 10.1590/S0100-72032000000100007
Purpose: to evaluate the effects of tibolone on climacteric symptoms and clinical and metabolic variables. Methods: thirty-four postmenopausal women were treated orally with 2.5 mg tibolone daily for 48 weeks and evaluated as to climacteric complaints, clinical aspects such as weight and blood pressure and lipid profile (total cholesterol, HDL-c, LDL-c, VLDL-c and triglycerides). Results: a significant improvement of climacteric complaints was demonstrated by a significant decrease in the Kupperman index (p<0.001) and the mean number of hot flushes (p<0.001) from the first month of treatment onwards. There was a significant decrease in total cholesterol, triglycerides and VLDL-c (p<0.001). The LDL-c levels presented a slight decrease (not significant). The HDL-c levels showed a significant decrease at week 24. However these levels returned to baseline levels at week 48. With regard to the vital signs no change in body weight and blood pressure was measured. The side effects were mild and temporary, vaginal bleeding, nausea and edema being the most common. Conclusion: tibolone may be considered a safe and efficient option to treat climacteric symptoms in postmenopausal women without significant impact on lipid profile.
Summary
Revista Brasileira de Ginecologia e Obstetrícia. 2000;22(1):55-55
DOI 10.1590/S0100-72032000000100011