Purpose
To examine if the uterocervical angle (UCA) can be used to predict preterm delivery in women with painful and regular uterine contractions and a cervical length of 25 mm or less.
Methods
...Retrospective study at the perinatal unit of the University Hospital of Tuebingen, Germany. Women with singleton gestation and preterm contractions between 24 + 0 and 33 + 6 weeks’ gestation were included. For the UCA measurement, a line is placed from the internal os to the external os irrespective of whether the cervix is straight or curved. A second line is drawn to delineate the lower uterine segment. The angle between the two lines is the UCA measurement. The measurements were taken on stored images from our database.
Results
The study consisted of 213 singleton pregnancies. At the time of UCA measurement, median maternal and gestational age was 31.4 years and 29.7 weeks’ gestation. Median gestational age at delivery was 35.3 weeks and the corresponding birth weight 2480 g, respectively. The UCA measurement in women who delivered within 2 days, between 3–7 days and after 7 days was not helpful to distinguish between these three groups median UCA measurements: 108.5°, 108.0° and 107.3° (Kruskal–Wallis test
p
= 0.576). Uni- and multivariate logistic multiple regression analysis demonstrated that the delivery within 2 days was only dependent on the gestational age and the cervical length at the time of presentation.
Conclusion
The measurement of UCA is not useful in predicting preterm birth in the subsequent 7 days after an episode of preterm contractions.
The Diagnosis and Treatment of Ectopic Pregnancy Taran, Florin-Andrei; Kagan, Karl-Oliver; Hübner, Markus ...
Deutsches Ärzteblatt international,
10/2015, Volume:
112, Issue:
41
Journal Article
Peer reviewed
Open access
Extrauterine pregnancy is a complication of the first trimester of pregnancy that arises in 1.3-2.4% of all pregnancies.
This review is based on articles and guidelines retrieved by a selective ...PubMed search.
The presentation of extrauterine pregnancy is highly variable, ranging from an asymptomatic state, to pelvic pain that is worse on one side, to tubal rupture with hemorrhagic shock. 75% of tubal pre gnancies can be detected by transvaginal ultrasonography. In patients with a vital extrauterine pregnancy, the human chorionic gonadotropin concentration generally doubles within 48 hours. Laparoscopy is the gold standard of treatment. Two randomized, controlled trials comparing organ-preserving treatment with ablative surgery revealed no significant difference in pregnancy rates after the intervention, but precise details of the surgical procedures were not provided, and long-term fertility data are lacking. Metho - trexate therapy should be used only for strict indications.
Further randomized, controlled trials with longer follow-up will be needed to answer currently open questions about the potential for individualized surgical treatment and the proper role of pharmacotherapy.
Wolf-Hirschhorn syndrome (WHS) is a common genetic condition and prenatal diagnosis is difficult due to heterogeneous expression of this syndrome and rather non-specific ultrasound findings. ...Objective of this study was to examine the prenatal ultrasound findings in fetuses with Wolf-Hirschhorn syndrome (WHS).
Retrospective assessment of 18 pregnancies that were seen at three tertiary referral centers (Universities of Bonn, Tuebingen and Nuernberg / Germany). Findings of prenatal ultrasound examinations, genetic results and outcome were compared. Additionally, findings of our study were compared to previous small case series from the literature and then compared to data on postnatal frequencies and abnormalities in affected patients.
Median gestational age at the time of examination was 23 + 1 weeks' (range: 13 + 4 to 29 + 1 weeks') with female-to-male ratio of > 2.5:1. Most frequent ultrasound findings were facial abnormalities, symmetric IUGR and microcephaly that presented in 94.4, 83.3 and 72.2% of cases, respectively. The combination of microcephaly and hypoplastic nasal bone was a particularly characteristic finding. Growth retardation presented in all fetuses > 20 weeks, but not below. Other frequent abnormalities included cardiac anomalies in 50 and single umbilical artery (SUA) in 44.4% of fetuses.
WHS should be considered in the presence of symmetric IUGR together with microcephaly, hypoplastic nasal bone and facial abnormalities on prenatal ultrasound. Genetic testing by chromosomal microarray analysis (CMA) is strongly recommended in this context.
Placenta percreta occurs in about 5% of placenta accreta spectrum (PAS) and causes high maternal and fetal peripartum morbidity/mortality. A 34-year-old multiparous 4G2P (1xcesarean section (CS)) was ...admitted to hospital at the 34th week of gestation. Transvaginal ultrasound revealed a placenta previa totalis et percreta with a small tissue layer towards the bladder. Ultrasound was crucial for further planning. An interdisciplinary setting was established based on this life-threatening diagnosis. Due to the onset of labor one day later, a CS was performed. Intraoperatively, the suspicion was confirmed of a placenta previa et percreta with CS scar infiltration. Due to the life-threatening bleeding risk, simultaneous subtotal hysterectomy was needed. The diagnosis was confirmed histologically. The higher the number of previous CS, the higher the PASrate. Placenta percreta is the most severe form of this, characterized by placental invasion through the entirety of the myometrium and possibly into extrauterine tissues. This case demonstrates the great importance of prenatal diagnosis with the realization of dimensions of this very rare finding, especially with an increasing CS rate and other associated complications. Due to the close interdisciplinary cooperation of the prenatal diagnosticians, obstetricians, and anesthesiologists with optimal care in a specialized center, the otherwise high morbidity/mortality can be minimized.
Objective
To determine whether the frontomaxillary facial (FMF) angle and the prefrontal space ratio (PFSR) are helpful in screening for open spinal defects by ultrasound in the second and third ...trimesters of pregnancy.
Methods
The FMF angle and the PFSR were measured in fetuses with spina bifida according to standardized protocols. The normal range of the PFSR was previously published by our group. To determine the normal values for the FMF angle in the second and third trimesters of pregnancy, we used the same stored images from the above-mentioned study.
Results
71 affected and 279 normal fetuses were included in this study. Median gestational ages in the two groups were 21.1 weeks and 21.6 weeks, respectively. In fetuses with spina bifida, the FMF angle was significantly smaller than in the normal population (72.9° versus 79.6°). However, the measurement was below the fifth centile in only 22.5% of the affected fetuses. The PFSR was similar in both groups.
Conclusions
The FMF angle is smaller in second and third trimester fetuses with open spina bifida. However, the difference is not large enough to implement this marker in current screening programs.
Uterus transplantation (UTx) can provide a route to motherhood for women with Mayer–Rokitansky–Küster–Hauser syndrome (MRKHS), a congenital disorder characterized by uterovaginal aplasia, but with ...functional ovaries. Based on our four successful living-donor transplantations and two resulting births, this analysis presents parameters relevant to standardizing recipient/donor selection, UTx surgery, and postoperative treatment, and their implementation in routine settings. We descriptively analyzed prospectively collected observational data from our four uterus recipients, all with MRKHS, their living donors, and the two newborns born to two recipients, including 1-year postnatal follow-ups. Analysis included only living-donor/recipient pairs with completed donor/recipient surgery. Two recipients, both requiring ovarian restimulation under immunosuppression after missed pregnancy loss in one case and no pregnancy in the other, each delivered a healthy boy by cesarean section. We conclude that parameters crucial to successful transplantation, pregnancy, and childbirth include careful selection of donor/recipient pairs, donor organ quality, meticulous surgical technique, a multidisciplinary team approach, and comprehensive follow-up. Surgery duration and blood vessel selection await further optimization, as do the choice and duration of immunosuppression, which are crucial to timing the first embryo transfer. Data need to be collected in an international registry due to the low prevalence of MRKHS.
The protein O-mannosyltransferase 1, encoded by the POMT1 gene, is a key enzyme in the glycosylation of α-dystroglycan. POMT1-related disorders belong to the group of dystroglycanopathies ...characterized by a proximally pronounced muscular dystrophy with structural or functional involvement of the brain and/or the eyes. The phenotypic spectrum ranges from the severe Walker-Warburg syndrome (WWS) to milder forms of limb girdle muscular dystrophy (LGMD). The phenotypic severity of POMT1-related dystroglycanopathies depends on the residual enzyme activity. A genotype-phenotype correlation can be assumed.
The clinical, neuroradiological, and genetic findings of 35 patients with biallelic POMT1 mutations (15 WWS, 1 MEB (muscle-eye-brain disease), 19 LGMD) from 27 independent families are reported. The representative clinical course of an infant with WWS and the long-term course of a 32 years old patient with LGMD are described in more detail. Specific features of 15 patients with the homozygous founder mutation p.Ala200Pro are defined as a distinct and mildly affected LGMD subgroup. Ten previously reported and 8 novel POMT1 mutations were identified. Type and location of each of the POMT1 mutations are evaluated in detail and a list of all POMT1 mutations reported by now is provided. Patients with two mutations leading to premature protein termination had a WWS phenotype, while the presence of at least one missense mutation was associated with milder phenotypes. In the patient with MEB-like phenotype two missense mutations were observed within the catalytic active domain of the enzyme.
Our large cohort confirms the importance of type and location of each POMT1 mutation for the individual clinical manifestation and thereby expands the knowledge on the genotype-phenotype correlation in POMT1-related dystroglycanopathies. This genotype-phenotype correlation is further supported by the observation of an intrafamiliar analogous clinical manifestation observed in all affected 13 siblings from 5 independent families. Our data confirm the progressive nature of the disease also in milder LGMD phenotypes, ultimately resulting in loss of ambulation at a variable age. Our data define two major clinical POMT1 phenotypes, which should prompt genetic testing including the POMT1 gene: patients with a severe WWS manifestation predominantly present with profound neonatal muscular hypotonia and a severe and progressive hydrocephalus with involvement of brainstem and/or cerebellum. The presence of an occipital encephalocele in a WWS patient might point to POMT1 as causative gene within the different genes associated with WWS. The milder LGMD phenotypes constantly show markedly elevated creatine kinase values in combination with microcephaly and cognitive impairment.
Abstract Objective To examine the contemporary outcome in women with rupture of membranes (PPROM) before 24 + 0 weeks’ gestation. Study Design Retrospective analysis of women with spontaneous PPROM ...before 24 + 0 weeks that were treated at the University of Tuebingen/Germany. The search of the database included common maternal and pregnancy characteristics as well as the neonatal outcomes. Results One hundred and one pregnancies fulfilled the inclusion criteria. 32 (31.7%) women opted for termination of pregnancy, which were excluded from further analysis. The gestational age at PPROM in the 69 women with an expectant management was 21.3 (IQR 19.1–22.6) weeks. 40 (58.0%) pregnancies carried on beyond 24 + 0 weeks. Multiple regression analysis indicated that the time of PPROM and the absence of oligo-/anhydramnios were associated with a prolongation beyond 24 + 0 weeks. In the 40 pregnancies that remained intact beyond 24 + 0 weeks’ gestation, the fetuses were born at 27.7 (IQR 25.3–30.9) weeks. Survival without major complications was observed in 22 (55.0%) fetuses. Multiple regression analysis indicated that only the gestational age at the time of delivery was significantly associated with such an intact survival. Conclusion In cases with PPROM there is a 60% chance of a prolongation beyond 24 + 0 weeks. About half of these fetuses will be discharged alive without major complications.
The objective of this case series was to describe different uterus-preserving surgical approaches and outcomes in patients with complex obstructive Müllerian duct malformation caused by cervical ...and/or vaginal anomalies. A retrospective analysis was performed including patients undergoing uterovaginal anastomosis (n = 6) or presenting for follow-up (n = 2) at the Department for Gynecology at the University of Tuebingen between 2017 and 2022. Uterovaginal anastomosis was performed with a one-step combined vaginal and laparoscopic approach (method A), a two-step/primary open abdominal approach with primary vaginal reconstruction followed by abdominal uterovaginal anastomosis after vaginal epithelization (method B) or an attempted one-step approach followed by secondary open abdominal uterovaginal anastomosis due to reobstruction (method A/B). Patients presented at a mean age of 15 years. Two patients were treated by method A, four by method B and two by method A/B. Functional anastomosis was established in seven of eight patients, with normal vaginal length in all patients. Concerning uterovaginal anastomosis, the primary open abdominal approach with or without previous vaginal reconstruction seems to have a higher success rate with fewer procedures and should be implemented as standard surgical therapy for complex obstructive genital malformations including the cervix.
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