Biomedical subjects

E Paraskevaidis

Publications and source records attributed to E Paraskevaidis.

47 records · Page 3Linked to original sources

PubMed1991

Pattern of treatment failure following laser for cervical intraepithelial neoplasia: implications for follow-up protocol.

In an effort to devise a rational protocol for the follow-up of patients who have had destructive treatment for cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN), an analysis has been performed of treatment failures following laser therapy in 2130 women treated between 1980-1989. Of this group, 1253 women have been followed up for 3 years or more and 380 for 6 years or more. There have been 119 treatment failures (5.6%), of which 71% of the women had the second lesion detected during the first year of follow-up, 24% during the second year, 3.3% during the third year, and 1.7% during the sixth year. In 18% of these 119, the second lesion was detected colposcopically in the presence of negative cytology. There were two cases of microinvasion and one frankly invasive lesion following laser, all diagnosed during the second year of follow-up. Our data suggest that if the first year of follow-up includes at least one colposcopic examination, some second lesions will be diagnosed in the presence of negative cytology.

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Apoptosis in human endometrium and endometriosis.

Apoptosis plays a critical role in maintaining tissue homeostasis and represents a normal function to eliminate excess or dysfunctional cells. Accumulated evidence suggests that apoptosis helps to maintain cellular homeostasis during the menstrual cycle by eliminating senescent cells from the functional layer of the uterine endometrium during the late secretory and menstrual phase of the cycle. The BCL-2 family and Fas/FasL system have been extensively studied in human endometrium and endometriotic tissues. Eutopic endometrium from women with endometriosis reportedly has some fundamental differences compared with normal endometrium of women without endometriosis. The differences could contribute to the survival of regurgitating endometrial cells into the peritoneal cavity and the development of endometriosis. One mechanism that recently gained a lot of interest is the finding that apoptosis appeared in eutopic and ectopic endometrium of patients with endometriosis. This study is a current review of the literature focused on the physiological role of apoptosis in normal endometrium and the alterations in regulation of apoptosis in eutopic and ectopic endometrium from women with endometriosis. Similarities in characteristics of endometriosis at a molecular level with gynaecological tumours are also discussed. Finally, the role of apoptosis in the treatment of endometriosis is reviewed to link the basic research findings into clinical applications.

Apoptosis↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Spontaneous evolution of human papillomavirus infection in the uterine cervix.

BACKGROUND: Little is known about the natural history and the malignant potential of low-grade cervical intraepithelial neoplasia associated with human papillomavirus (HPV) infection. Cervical cancer remains the second most frequent cause of death in women across the world. Epidemiologic and molecular studies have shown that human papillomavirus (HPV) is associated with cervical carcinogenesis. In this prospective study we examined the behavior of low-grade cervical intraepithelial lesions associated with HPV infection over a 6-year period. MATERIAL AND METHODS: During 1992, women with Papanicolaou smears reporting koilocytotic atypia (HPV effect) with or without grade 1 cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (HPV +/- CINI, low grade squamous intraepithelial lesions, LgSIL), along with colposcopic impression of LgSIL were included to the study. Between 1992 and 1998 all women underwent repeat Papanicolaou smears, colposcopic evaluation and HPV DNA testing every six months. HPV typing of cervical scrapes was done by PCR. RESULTS: A total of 330 women completed at least 6 years of follow up. Among women with high-risk HPV types (16/18), the presence of dysplasia (grade 1 cervical intraepithelial neoplasia) was significantly correlated with the progression of the lesion; 29% of cases with HPV + CINI (15 out of 75) progressed to more severe lesions versus only 9% of cases with HPV infection (18 out of 225), P < 0.001, chi-square test. The incidence of histologically confirmed progressive lesions was significantly greater in women with mild dysplasia (18 out of 75, 24%) compared to women without dysplasia (13 out of 255, 5%), P < 0.001, chi-square test. CONCLUSIONS: In our study HPV typing was not predictive of the evolution of low-grade intraepithelial lesions associated with HPV infection. Standard cytologic screening and colposcopy are the most effective means of monitoring low-grade lesions.

Cervix Uteri↗

PubMedDate not supplied

The use of transvaginal sonography and vaginoscopic hysteroscopy in women on tamoxifen.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Long-term administration of tamoxifen causes endometrial changes. The aim of this study was to evaluate the role of transvaginal sonography and vaginoscopic hysteroscopy in the screening of patients on tamoxifen. METHODS: Seventy patients with breast cancer treated with tamoxifen 20 mg daily underwent transvaginal sonography and vaginoscopic hysteroscopy, a modified relatively painless approach, at the beginning of the treatment and at a follow-up visit approximately 9 months after its initiation. RESULTS: At the follow-up visit, the mean uterine dimensions and mean endometrial thickness as measured by ultrasound were significantly larger, and pulsatility and resistance indices of the uterine arteries as measured by Doppler were significantly lower. Sonography revealed abnormal endometrial thickness in 73% (51 of 70) of the patients, and 83% (58 of 70) had hysteroscopical changes. Sonography missed 1 case of endometrial adenocarcinoma. CONCLUSIONS: Vaginoscopic hysteroscopy, an approach that causes reduced pain, can add significantly to the sensitivity of transvaginal sonography for the detection of endometrial changes in patients with breast cancer receiving tamoxifen. It is recommended for every patient prior to the initiation of treatment and at the follow-up visits.

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Large loop excision of the transformation zone for treating cervical intraepithelial neoplasia: a 12-year experience.

BACKGROUND: Although the existing evidence suggests that there is no obviously superior conservative method for treating cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN), one of the most widely used is the large loop excision of the transformation zone (LLETZ). MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 897 women who were treated with LLETZ at our colposcopy clinic from 1989 to 2000 were retrospectively studied. RESULTS: Forty women did not have significant cervical pathology (4.5% over-treatment rate). Clear margins of excision were obtained in 748 (88.5%) of the 845 cases of CIN or microinvasive cancers. Treatment failure rates were 4.7% for clear margins and 26.8% for involved or uncertain. CONCLUSION: LLETZ is a fast and reliable method of treating CIN and microinvasive carcinoma. Generalized cauterization of the resulting crater should be avoided and satellite HPV lesions ablated. Involved margins have a higher treatmentfailure rate, therefore a larger excision is recommended as cervical craters regenerate. Treatment in pregnant women can be delayed until postpartum provided they have adequate surveillance during pregnancy.

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Transvaginal uterine ultrasonography compared with endometrial biopsy for the detection of endometrial disease in perimenopausal women with uterine bleeding.

BACKGROUND: Almost 70% of all gynecological consultations in perimenopausal women are related to irregular uterine bleeding. In this prospective study, we compared endometrial assessment by transvaginal ultrasonography (TVS) in perimenopausal women with irregular uterine bleeding to histological assessment and tested whether the TVS was effective as a diagnostic tool for the detection of endometrial pathology in these women. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Eighty consecutive perimenopausal women complaining of irregular uterine bleeding participated in the study. The women were evaluated by transvaginal scans, performed immediately before endometrial biopsy. The ultrasonographic results were compared with the histological diagnosis obtained from the endometrial biopsy. RESULTS: Sixty-seven out of 80 women (83.7%) had normal histological findings, whereas 13 (16.3%) had abnormal findings. No endometrial cancer was diagnosed in this cohort of women. In the 67 women with a histological diagnosis of normal endometrium, mean+/-SD endometrial thickness was 10.5+/-4.0 mm (range 4.0-18.5 mm), whereas the corresponding value in the 13 women with abnormal findings was 18.7+/-3.8 mm (range 13.5-22.5 mm). If a 13 mm cut-off limit was used for endometrial thickness, which would include all abnormal cases, the sensitivity, specificity and positive predictive values were 100%, 71.64% and 40.62%, respectively. CONCLUSION: TVS can identify women with perimenopausal bleeding in which the likelihood of endometrial pathology is high and in which tissue sampling should be performed. Thus, TVS can be a primary method of selecting women with perimenopausal bleeding who must be further investigated with more invasive methods such as endometrial biopsy.

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Screening transvaginal uterine ultrasonography for identifying endometrial pathology in postmenopausal women.

BACKGROUND: During the last decade, transvaginal ultrasonography (TVS) has become a widely-used technique for the evaluation of endometrial histology. The purposes of this study were to compare transvaginal sonographic evaluation of the endometrium with histology obtained by endometrial biopsy in asymptomatic postmenopausal women and to determine whether screening transvaginal sonography might be useful in the evaluation of postmenopausal women. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study included 59 unselected asymptomatic postmenopausal women who attended the outpatient clinic for annual cervical cytology at Ioannina University Hospital Greece. The women were evaluated by transvaginal scans, performed immediately before endometrial biopsy. RESULTS: In the 43 women with a histopathological diagnosis of normal endometrium/inadequate for assessment/atrophy, the mean endometrial thickness was 5.1 +/- 3.3 mm (range 0.8-13.8 mm) whereas the corresponding value in the 16 women with abnormal findings was 17.6 +/- 4.3 mm (range 9.4-24.6 mm) (p<0.001). If a 9 mm cut-off limit was used for endometrial thickness, the sensitivity, specificity and positive predictive value were 100%, 90.69% and 80%, respectively. CONCLUSION: TVS is a sensitive test for determining endometrial disease in asymptomatic postmenopausal women. However, well-designed studies should be conducted, completed, analysed and validated before a mass-screening program using TVS is implemented.

Aged↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Screening transvaginal uterine ultrasonography for identifying endometrial pathology in postmenopausal women.

BACKGROUND: During the last decade, transvaginal ultrasonography (TVS) has become a widely-used technique for the evaluation of endometrial histology. The purposes of this study were to compare transvaginal sonographic evaluation of the endometrium with histology obtained by endometrial biopsy in asymptomatic postmenopausal women and to determine whether screening transvaginal sonography might be useful in the evaluation of postmenopausal women. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study included 59 unselected asymptomatic postmenopausal women who attended the outpatients' clinic for annual cervical cytology at Ioannina University Hospital, Greece. The women were evaluated by transvaginal scans, performed immediately before endometrial biopsy. RESULTS: In the 43 women with a histopathological diagnosis of normal endometrium/inadequate for assessment/atrophy, the mean endometrial thickness was 5.1 +/- 3.3 mm (range 0.8-13.8 mm) whereas the corresponding value in the 16 women with abnormal findings was 17.6 +/- 4.3 mm (range 9.4-24.6 mm) (p<0.001). If a 9-mm cut-off limit was used for endometrial thickness, the sensitivity, specificity and positive predictive value were 100%, 90.69% and 80%, respectively. CONCLUSION: TVS is a sensitive test for determining endometrial disease in asymptomatic postmenopausal women. However, well-designed studies should be conducted, completed, analysed and validated before a mass-screening program using TVS is implemented.

Aged↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Ovarian cancer screening.

PURPOSE: This review presents the current knowledge on ovarian cancer screening (OCS) together with a cumulative evaluation of the efficacy across diverse screening approaches based on up-to-date results. MATERIALS AND METHODS: An electronic literature search was conducted targeting reports on the effectiveness of the various screening strategies. RESULTS: Twenty-two prospective studies, 18 cohorts and 4 randomised control trials (RCTs) were retrieved. Where possible, sensitivity, specificity and predictive values, as well as the number needed to treat for each cancer (NNT) and each stage I disease [NNT (I)] detected are reported. CONCLUSION: The multimodal approach that incorporates CA125 as a primary and ultrasound as a secondary test appears to be superior to other strategies. However, the conclusive end-point that would provide the acceptable level of evidence for the introduction of screening should be a reduction in mortality. Up-to-date, there is no such evidence to justify this.

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

[Fertility and pregnancy after conization].

Conization is frequently used as a diagnostic and curative method for the prevention of the cervical cancer on women of the fertile age. Conization was performed on 408 women up to 40 years in our Clinics during the years 1967 to 1989. The percentage of attested postoperative pregnancies among these women amounts to 13.51% and declines with age; it is high among women up to 25 years of age (29%) and low (3%) among women between 36 and 40 years. The percentage with premature births before the operation was 15.25%; after the operation the percentage declined to 13.31%. Preventive cerclage was used on one part (8.1%) of the latter percentage and no cerclage on the remaining 5.4%. It is concluded that there is not high danger of premature birth after conization and therefore performance of the operation does not seem to necessitate preventive cerclage.

Abortion, Spontaneous↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Determination of serum copper concentration in pregnancy at term, using potentiometric stripping analysis (P.S.A.).

The serum copper concentrations were determined in a group of 41 pregnant women and in a group of 30 non-pregnant women used as a control-group. The determinations were made by Potentiometric Stripping Analysis (P.S.A.) a method much cheaper but equally reliable to others used for determination of bioelements. The levels of copper in serum were found significantly lower in both groups [control group: (mean +/- S.D.): 0.56 +/- 0.16 mg/l, pregnant women, (mean +/- S.D.): 1.77 +/- 0.47 mg/l] than the levels referred in studies from other countries. This finding in combination with the obvious advantages of the P.S.A. method, allow us to propose copper determination as a routine examination during pregnancy, in order to make an early diagnosis and manage a possible copper deficiency in pregnant women, accordingly.

Adult↗