Objective: The purpose of this study was to determine the associated abnormalities and clinical outcomes of fetuses with Dandy-Walker malformations. Methods: Sonograms and medical reports of 78 cases were reviewed and information regarding each outcome was collected from autopsy records, hospital charts and specialists caring for the surviving infants. Results: We identified 64 fetuses with classic Dandy-Walker malformation (DW) and 14 fetuses with Dandy-Walker variant (DWV). A high proportion (44.8%) of the parents were consanguineous. The spectrum and proportion of central nervous system (67.1 vs. 71.4%; p = 1.0) and other malformations (43.7 vs. 64.2%; p = 0.57) associated with DW and DWV were similar. Chromosome abnormalities were found in 9 of the 51 (17.6%) fetuses that underwent karyotype analysis. Only 4 of 64 (6.2%) DW and 3 of 14 (21.4%) DWV infants survived (p 0.14), and all surviving infants with DW or DWV had neurological disorders. Conclusions: DW and DWV cases show so many similarities that a clear-cut distinction is difficult. There was no significant difference in the spectrum of associated anomalies and postnatal prognosis between DW and DWV cases.

Lipid peroxidation and the antioxidant system were investigated in the plasma and placenta of normal and preeclamptic pregnant women. A significant increase in thiobarbituric acid reactive substance (TBARS), significant decreases in total thiol (t-SH) content and superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity, and unchanged vitamin C levels and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) activity were observed in the plasma of preeclamptic women compared to women with normal pregnancies. In placentas from preeclamptic women TBARS levels were significantly elevated, while glutathione and vitamin C levels and GPx, glutathione S-transferase and SOD activities were decreased. After delivery, the elevated TBARS values decreased significantly and the reduced SOD activity and t-SH contents increased significantly. We concluded that preeclampsia is associated with an imbalance between lipid peroxides and the antioxidant system.

Our purpose was to compare the efficacy of 25 µg and 50 µg intravaginally administered misoprostol tablets for cervical ripening and labor induction. Either 25-µg (n: 58) or 50-µg (n: 56) misoprostol tablets were randomly administered intravaginally to 114 subjects with an unripe cervix for labor induction. The physician was blinded to the medication. Intravaginal misoprostol was given every 4 h until the onset of labor. The mean Bishop score before misoprostol administration was 2.1 ± 1.6 in the 25-µg group and 2.0 ± 1.4 in the 50-µg group (p > 0.05). With the 25-µg dose the time until delivery was significantly longer (991.2 ± 514.4 min vs. 703.12 ± 432.6 min in the 50-µg group). The use of oxytocin augmentation was significantly higher in the 25-µg group (63.8%) than the 50-µg group (32.1%; p < 0.05). The proportions of patients with tachysystoles and hypersystoles were not significantly different between the two groups (19 and 6.9%, respectively, in the 25-µg group and 25 and 17.8%, respectively, in 50-µg group; p > 0.05). Overall, in the 25-µg group more women achieved vaginal delivery (79.3 vs. 60.7%; p < 0.05). The rate of cesarean sections due to nonreassuring fetal status was higher in the 50-µg misoprostol group (28.6 vs. 10.3%; p < 0.05). The number of neonates with a low 1-min Apgar score (<7) was significantly higher in the 50-µg misoprostol group (26.8 vs. 8.6%; p < 0.05), but 5-min Apgar scores and umbilical artery blood gas values at the time of delivery were not significantly different between the groups (p > 0.05). One patient in the 25-µg group suffered a ruptured uterus. Intravaginal administration of 25 µg of misoprostol is a clinically effective labor induction regimen and has the least adverse effects and complications.

It has been suggested that oxidative stress may cause endothelial dysfunction and that endothelial dysfunction may lead to hypertension by reduced release of vasodilating agents such as nitric oxide (NO). In this study, we investigated the relationship between serum NO and lipid peroxides in preeclamptic and normal pregnant women before and after delivery. Plasma from women with preeclampsia had significantly lower nitrate/nitrite concentrations and significantly higher lipid peroxide levels than normal pregnant women before the delivery. Lipid peroxide levels were significantly elevated in preeclamptic placenta. After delivery in the preeclamptic group the plasma concentration of nitrate/nitrite was increased and plasma thiobarbituric acid reactive substance levels decreased, while these parameters remained unchanged in the normal pregnants women. These results indicate that high levels of lipid peroxides in the circulation may be the cause of lowered NO synthesis and hypertension observed in preeclamptic women.

Aim: To review the perinatal outcome of twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome (TTTS) treated with fetoscopic laser coagulation in a developing country with detailed analysis according to the stage of the syndrome. Methods: This was a retrospective study of 85 TTTS cases treated with fetoscopic laser coagulation at the Fetal Diagnosis and Treatment Unit of Istanbul Faculty of Medicine between January 2006 and March 2013. Results: The surgical failure rate was 5.8% (5/85). Among all the cases of the total cohort, only 1 fetus survived in 27 pregnancies (31.8%), and both fetuses survived in 22 pregnancies (25.9%). In 49 pregnancies (57.6%) at least one fetus survived at the end of the neonatal period. The overall survival and live birth rates were 41.8% (71/170) and 56.4% (96/170), respectively, and they significantly decreased as the stage of disease increased. Delivery occurred before 32 weeks of gestation in 54 (63.5%) pregnancies. Logistic regression analysis showed that gestational age at delivery was the only independent factor, and the risk of nonsurvival significantly decreased with increasing age. Conclusion: Based on our experience, the outcome of fetoscopic laser coagulation of the placental anastomoses for TTTS became worse as the Quintero stage of the disease advanced.