Routine pre-evacuation ultrasound examination identifies less than 50% of hydatidiform moles, the majority sonographically appearing as missed or incomplete miscarriage. Detection rates are, however, higher for complete compared to partial moles, and improve after 14 weeks' gestation. Histopathological examination of products of conception remains the current gold standard for the identification of gestational trophoblastic neoplasia.
Traditionally radical hysterectomy has formed the mainstay of treatment for early stage cervical carcinoma. More recently radical trachelectomy and laparoscopic lymphadenectomy have been introduced to allow preservation of fertility. We present a new approach to fertility-sparing surgery, namely abdominal radical trachelectomy. The technique is similar to a standard radical hysterectomy and lymphadenectomy. In our technique the ovarian vessels are not ligated and, following lymphadenectomy and skeletonisation of the uterine arteries, the cervix, parametrium and vaginal cuff are excised. The residuum of the cervix is then sutured to the vagina and the uterine ateries reanastomosed.Traditionally the treatment for invasive cervical carcinoma which has progressed beyond microinvasion has been radical hysterectomy. Long term experience of radical surgery for Stage l b carcinoma has shown that it produces excellent results in terms of survival but that morbidity may be significant, and there is always loss of potential for future childbearing. Increasingly, large numbers of young women (24-35 years) are being diagnosed with cervical cancer1. Clearly, the loss of fertility in these women can be devastating.In recent years there has been a move towards more conservative approaches for the treatment of cervical carcinoma. Conisation of the cervix has become acceptable practice for the management of FIG0 classification Stage la(i) tumours. In an attempt to develop a more conservative operation for early invasive carcinoma of the cervix, Dargent et al.* described a new technique suitable for exophytic tumours of Stages l a to 2a which allowed preservation of the uterus but removed the cervix, parametrium and upper one third of the vagina.He called this procedure 'radical trachelectomy '. His patients also underwent laparoscopic pelvic lymphadenectomy, with negative histology results. The
Background:Post-molar pregnancy gestational trophoblastic tumours (GTT) have been curable with chemotherapy treatment for over 50 years. Because of the rarity of the diagnosis, detailed structured information on prognosis, treatment escalations and outcome is limited.Methods:We have reviewed the demographics, prognostic variables, treatment course and clinical outcomes for the post-mole GTT patients treated at Charing Cross Hospital between 2000 and 2009.Results:Of the 618 women studied, 547 had a diagnosis of complete mole, 13 complete mole with a twin conception and 58 partial moles. At the commencement of treatment, 94% of patients were in the FIGO low-risk group (score 0–6). For patients treated with single-agent methotrexate, the primary cure rate ranged from 75% for a FIGO score of 0–1 through to 31% for those with a FIGO score of 6.Conclusion:In the setting of a formal follow-up programme, the expected cure rate for GTT after a molar pregnancy should be 100%. Prompt treatment and diagnosis should limit the exposure of most patients to combination chemotherapy. Because of the post-treatment relapse rate of 3% post-chemotherapy, hCG monitoring should be performed routinely.
Background
Adults with congenital heart disease (CHD) have been considered potentially high risk for novel coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19) mortality or other complications.
Objectives
This study sought to define the impact of COVID-19 in adults with CHD and to identify risk factors associated with adverse outcomes.
Methods
Adults (age 18 years or older) with CHD and with confirmed or clinically suspected COVID-19 were included from CHD centers worldwide. Data collection included anatomic diagnosis and subsequent interventions, comorbidities, medications, echocardiographic findings, presenting symptoms, course of illness, and outcomes. Predictors of death or severe infection were determined.
Results
From 58 adult CHD centers, the study included 1,044 infected patients (age: 35.1 ± 13.0 years; range 18 to 86 years; 51% women), 87% of whom had laboratory-confirmed coronavirus infection. The cohort included 118 (11%) patients with single ventricle and/or Fontan physiology, 87 (8%) patients with cyanosis, and 73 (7%) patients with pulmonary hypertension. There were 24 COVID-related deaths (case/fatality: 2.3%; 95% confidence interval: 1.4% to 3.2%). Factors associated with death included male sex, diabetes, cyanosis, pulmonary hypertension, renal insufficiency, and previous hospital admission for heart failure. Worse physiological stage was associated with mortality (p = 0.001), whereas anatomic complexity or defect group were not.
Conclusions
COVID-19 mortality in adults with CHD is commensurate with the general population. The most vulnerable patients are those with worse physiological stage, such as cyanosis and pulmonary hypertension, whereas anatomic complexity does not appear to predict infection severity.
Partial or complete hydatidiform mole (HM) affects approximately 1 in 500 to 1,000 pregnancies. Previous small series suggest that histopathologic diagnosis of HM may be difficult in tubal ectopic pregnancies. The histopathology database of a regional Trophoblastic Disease Unit was searched to identify cases with a referral diagnosis of tubal HM, and the histopathologic findings were reviewed. During the study period (1986-2004 inclusive), there were 132 cases. After central review by specialist histopathologists, the final diagnosis was ectopic partial mole in two, ectopic complete mole in five, and ectopic hydatidiform mole (not otherwise specified) in one. The final diagnosis of definite hydatidiform mole was made in eight (6%) cases, significantly less than in referred uterine curettage specimens, in which approximately 90% have a confirmatory diagnosis of HM (Z = 12.9; p < 0.0001). No cases in this series developed persistent gestational trophoblastic disease, the human chorionic gonadotropin concentration spontaneously returning to normal. Ectopic pregnancies, where managed surgically, should be submitted for histopathologic examination; however, the pathologist should be aware that the degree of extravillus trophoblastic proliferation may appear more florid compared with evacuated uterine products of conception. Molar pregnancy should only be diagnosed when strict criteria regarding morphologic abnormalities previously described in uterine evacuation material are applied.
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