The effectiveness of non-surgical management of early interstitial pregnancy: a report of ten cases and review of the literature. (1/497)

OBJECTIVE: To assess the effectiveness of non-surgical management of interstitial pregnancy. DESIGN: A prospective interventional study. SUBJECTS: Eleven women with the ultrasound diagnosis of interstitial ectopic pregnancy. METHODS: Women with suspected early pregnancy complications were examined by transvaginal ultrasound. Those with the diagnosis of interstitial pregnancy were offered non-surgical treatment with methotrexate, which was administered systemically or by local injection. Follow-up with regular measurements of beta-human chorionic gonadotropin and ultrasound scans continued until the pregnancy had resolved completely. RESULTS: Ten women were managed non-surgically, and one woman opted for surgery. Five women received systemic and five local methotrexate. Local therapy was successful in all five cases (100%), whereas four out of five (80%) women receiving systemic methotrexate were cured. Significant side-effects were noted in two women following systemic therapy. In comparison, there were no side-effects in the group of women who received local therapy. There were no significant differences between the two treatment groups in the length of time taken for the pregnancy to resolve. CONCLUSIONS: Non-surgical treatment of interstitial pregnancy with methotrexate appears to be safe and effective. Local administration appears to be more successful and better tolerated by patients and may be used as the first-line therapy.  (+info)

Combined treatment modality for intracranial germinomas: results of a multicentre SFOP experience. Societe Francaise d'Oncologie Pediatrique. (2/497)

Conventional therapy for intracranial germinomas is craniospinal irradiation. In 1990, the Societe Francaise d'Oncologie Pediatrique initiated a study combining chemotherapy (alternating courses of etoposide-carboplatin and etoposide-ifosfamide for a recommended total of four courses) with 40 Gy local irradiation for patients with localized germinomas. Metastatic patients were allocated to receive low-dose craniospinal radiotherapy. Fifty-seven patients were enrolled between 1990 and 1996. Forty-seven had biopsy-proven germinoma. Biopsy was not performed in ten patients (four had diagnostic tumour markers and in six the neurosurgeon felt biopsy was contraindicated). Fifty-one patients had localized disease, and six leptomeningeal dissemination. Seven patients had bifocal tumour. All but one patient received at least four courses of chemotherapy. Toxicity was mainly haematological. Patients with diabetus insipidus (n = 25) commonly developed electrolyte disturbances during chemotherapy. No patient developed tumour progression during chemotherapy. Fifty patients received local radiotherapy with a median dose of 40 Gy to the initial tumour volume. Six metastatic patients, and one patient with localized disease who stopped chemotherapy due to severe toxicity, received craniospinal radiotherapy. The median follow-up for the group was 42 months. Four patients relapsed 9, 10, 38 and 57 months after diagnosis. Three achieved second complete remission following salvage treatment with chemotherapy alone or chemo-radiotherapy. The estimated 3-year survival probability is 98% (CI: 86.6-99.7%) and the estimated 3-year event-free survival is 96.4% (CI: 86.2-99.1%). This study shows that excellent survival rates can be achieved by combining chemotherapy and local radiotherapy in patients with non-metastatic intracranial germinomas.  (+info)

Hyperreactio luteinalis associated with chronic renal failure. (3/497)

Hyperreactio luteinalis is a rare benign condition characterized by bilateral ovarian enlargement associated with pregnancies where high concentrations of maternal serum human chorionic gonadotrophins are present. This condition may mimic the ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome. We report a case of a 34 year old woman with a history of chronic renal failure on haemodialysis who presented at 10 weeks' gestational age with hyperreactio luteinalis which was treated conservatively. Because of chronic renal failure, the presentation and course of the disease was different from that which has been previously reported.  (+info)

Characterization of human placental explants: morphological, biochemical and physiological studies using first and third trimester placenta. (4/497)

The primary objective of this study was to characterize an in-vitro model of the human placenta using morphological, biochemical and physiological parameters. Placental villi were obtained from normal first trimester and term pregnancies. The villi were incubated with Dulbecco's modified Eagle's medium: Ham's F12 nutrient mixture in a shaking water bath at 37 degrees C for up to 310 min. The viability was determined by the production of beta human chorionic gonadotrophin (HCG) and lactic dehydrogenase (LDH) and the incorporation of [3H]thymidine, [3H]L-leucine and L-[U14C]arginine, while ultrastructure was assessed by transmission electron microscopy. In the first and third trimester group, the release into the medium of the intracellular enzyme LDH remained unaltered throughout the experiment. By contrast, beta-HCG concentrations increased linearly and concentrations were higher in the first trimester than term villi (354.5 +/- 37.8 versus 107 +/- 8.1 IU/g villi protein; P < 0.001). Electron microscopy confirmed preservation of tissue viability for up to 4 h of incubation. The incorporation of thymidine (12.2 +/- 2.9 versus 5.2 +/- 0.5 nmol/g villi protein; P < 0.05), leucine (9.4 +/- 2.1 versus 1.9 +/- 0.4 nmol/g villi protein; P < 0.02) and arginine (17 +/- 4.4 versus 4.2 +/- 0.5 nmol/g villi protein; P < 0.05) were markedly higher in early than in term placenta. Furthermore, placental uptake of L-leucine by the first (9.4 +/- 2.1 versus 17 + 4.4 mol/g villi protein; P < 0.001) and third trimester placental villi (1.9 +/- 0.4 versus 4.2 + 0.5 mol/g villi protein; P < 0.001) was less than that of L-arginine. This study describes a simple technique using placental explants to determine relative rates of uptake of substrate amino acids throughout gestation.  (+info)

Cross-reaction with luteinizing hormone beta-core is responsible for the age-dependent increase of immunoreactive beta-core fragment of human chorionic gonadotropin in women with nonmalignant conditions. (5/497)

BACKGROUND: The beta-core fragment of human chorionic gonadotropin (hCGbetacf), also termed "beta-core" and urinary gonadotropin peptide (UGP), has been reported to be present in the urine of healthy women and to increase in concentration after menopause. This could reflect cross-reaction with the equivalent metabolite of luteinizing hormone (LH), the beta-LH-core. METHODS: We measured immunoreactive LH, hCG, free alpha-subunit, and free beta-subunit hCG (hCGbeta), as well as beta-core, using the S504 RIA and Triton UGP enzyme immunoassay in 274 urine samples from women with nonmalignant gynecological conditions. The molar cross-reaction of each assay with purified beta-LH-core was determined. RESULTS: Cross-reaction with beta-LH-core was 100% in the LH and the S504 beta-core assay, 5% in the Triton UGP assay, and <0.1% in the hCG, free alpha-subunit, and free hCGbeta assays. Median urine concentrations of all analytes showed an age-dependent increase. LH and free alpha-subunit concentrations were approximately 10(3) pmol/mol creatinine; hCG and S504 beta-core were approximately 10(2) pmol/mol creatinine; free hCGbeta and Triton UGP beta-core were in the tens of pmol/mol creatinine. The S504 beta-core concentrations were 10% of those of LH. S504 beta-core was strongly correlated with LH, but not with hCG or with free hCGbeta (LH, r2 = 0.45; hCG, r2 = 0.26; free hCGbeta, r2 = 0.03). The concentrations of beta-core detected by the Triton UGP assay, which has a 5% cross-reaction with beta-LH-core, were 2% of LH and 5% of the S504 beta-core concentrations. Triton UGP values correlated strongly with LH concentrations, but less well with S504 beta-core, intact hCG, and free hCGbeta (LH, r2 = 0.44; S504 beta-core, r2 = 0.33; hCG, r2 = 0.32; free hCGbeta, r2 = 0.19). CONCLUSIONS: Immunoreactive beta-core in women free of malignancies reflects cross-reaction with concentrations of the metabolite of LH, beta-LH-core, within the health-related reference interval.  (+info)

Perinatal outcome in pregnancies with a positive serum screening for Down's syndrome due to elevated levels of free beta-human chorionic gonadotropin. (6/497)

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the potential clinical use of maternal serum free beta-human chorionic gonadotropin (beta-hCG) and uterine artery Doppler investigation to screen for placenta-related adverse outcome in pregnancies at positive risk for Down's syndrome at 15-18 weeks. DESIGN: A cohort of 329 consecutive pregnant women with a singleton viable pregnancy and a positive risk for Down's syndrome was retrospectively investigated. This group was obtained from an unselected population of 3952 women attending the same hospital over a 2-year period. Using the results of this first analysis, we selected a group of 26 women with unexplained high levels of free beta-hCG and followed them prospectively with monthly ultrasound and uterine artery Doppler examinations. RESULTS: In the retrospective cohort, risk ratios stratified for maternal serum beta-hCG multiple of the median (MoM) values indicated that the highest incidence of adverse pregnancy outcome was in those women with values of > or = 5.0. In the prospective study, pregnancy outcome was complicated by uteroplacental disorders in eight cases. Analysis of the Doppler investigation indicated that, in women with a very high level of hCG, an abnormally high uterine artery pulsatility index (PI) had lower sensitivity and negative predictive value than early diastolic notch, whereas the specificity and positive predictive value were higher for a high uterine artery PI. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest an association between a high level of maternal serum beta-hCG at 15-18 weeks, the presence of an early diastolic notch in the uterine artery flow velocity waveform and adverse pregnancy outcome due to abnormal development of the uteroplacental circulation. Young women with an unexplained high beta-hCG level would benefit, apart from detailed sonography of the fetus and/or karyotyping, from uterine Doppler investigation and counselling about the follow-up and management of placenta-related pregnancy disorders.  (+info)

Arteriovenous malformation of mesosalpinx associated with a 'vanishing' ectopic pregnancy: diagnosis with three-dimensional color power angiography. (7/497)

We describe two cases of pelvic arteriovenous malformation diagnosed with the aid of three-dimensional color power angiography. In both cases, beta-human chorionic gonadotropin (beta-hCG) increased to significant levels (8413 and 1560 mIU/ml, respectively); however, neither an intrauterine nor an adnexal gestational sac could be found. In each case, we observed an adnexal mass with several tortuous areas exhibiting abundant turbulent flow. The diagnosis of arteriovenous malformation was made and further assessment by three-dimensional color power angiography and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was carried out. The complex vascular anatomy of arteriovenous malformation, including its feeding vessels and drainage, was clearly depicted by three-dimensional color power angiography and correlated well with magnetic resonance angiography. Levels of beta-hCG decreased in subsequent tests, and eventually became negative 2-3 months later without and intervention. We believe that an involutional ectopic pregnancy induced the rapid growth of the arteriovenous malformations within the mesosalpinx. Three-dimensional color power angiography can be performed quickly and easily, using existing ultrasound equipment. It improves our understanding of complicated vasculature, and thus is a useful adjunct to two-dimensional and color Doppler ultrasound in the diagnosis of arteriovenous malformation.  (+info)

Cervical pregnancy--a conservative stepwise approach. (8/497)

A case of cervical pregnancy resistant to intramuscular methotrexate therapy is presented, which was successfully treated by intra-arterial methotrexate followed by selective prophylactic hypogastric artery embolization to avoid aggravating the vaginal bleeding. It is suggested that, in cervical pregnancies in which fertility preservation is desired, a stepwise conservative approach should be applied before resorting to surgical intervention.  (+info)

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