The antenatal diagnosis of fetal abnormality.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Amniocentesis↗
Biomedical subjects
G B Duff
Publications and source records attributed to G B Duff.
Measurement of the uterus and gestation sac by ultrasound in early normal and abnormal pregnancy.
Uterine volumes measured by two different ultrasonic methods, and gestation sac volumes in early normal pregnancy are reported. The results obtained for uterine volume measurements are compared. Methods using measurements obtained from only a longitudinal scan were simpler but slightly less accurate. Uterine volumes were also calculated in a series of patients with pregnancy complicated by threatened abortion. The accuracy of the prediction of the outcome of the pregnancy, based solely on uterine volume was 71 percent. Uterine volume measurement is most useful in identifying cases of missed abortion where the period of gestation is known.
Abortion, Threatened↗
Prediction of the extremes of birth weight from a single ultrasound examination at 34 weeks of gestation.
One hundred and forty patients were subjected to ultrasound examination at about 34 weeks of gestation. Using the product of the biparietal diameter measurement and either the fetal abdominal circumference or abdominal area measurement, it was possible to predict three-quarters of both large for dates infants (false positive rate, 21.3%) and small for dates infants (false positive rate, 15.7%). Using the presence of a head and/or abdomen measurement above the 90th percentile for gestation, it was possible to predict 62.5% of large for dates infants (false positive rate, 15.7%). Using the presence of any measurement below the 10th percentile, it was possible to predict 81.3% of small for dates infants (false positive rates, 21.3%).
Anthropometry↗
Plasma diamine oxidase levels in pregnancy complicated by threatened abortion.
Plasma diamine oxidase levels were assayed in 66 patients who presented with pregnancy complicated by threatened abortion. Levels within the normal range were associated with continuing pregnancies, whereas levels below the normal range were associated with subsequent abortion. Among those patients in whom gestation was greater than eight weeks, 66.6% of diamine oxidase levels correctly predicted the pregnancy outcome. Assay of the diamine oxidase levels at eight weeks of gestation or less gave little useful information.
Abortion, Spontaneous↗
The mid-trimester low lying placenta: a prospective study.
Thirteen women who were found to have a low lying placenta on ultrasound scan during the mid-trimester were followed prospectively with repeated ultrasound examinations in older to observe changes in placental position and to determine the prognostic significance of low-lying placentae found during the mid-trimester. Two women aborted spontaneously and in the remainder the placenta ceased to be previa by 30 to 32 weeks gestation ie about the time of the formation of the lower uterine segment.
Abortion, Spontaneous↗
A study of investigations used to predict outcome of pregnancy after threatened abortion.
Sixty-nine patients who presented with threatened abortion had a number of investigations aimed at providing information with which to predict pregnancy outcome. Ultrasound examination, and measurement of plasma oestradiol and progesterone levels were all significantly more accurate in predicting the pregnancy outcome than clinical examination. Measurements of plasma levels of beta 1-glycoprotein, alpha fetoprotein (AFP), beta subunit human chorionic gonadotrophin (hCG), cystyl aminopeptidase, and human placental lactogen (hPL) also appeared better than clinical examination but the differences did not reach statistical significance while measurement of hCG levels in early morning urine were less accurate than clinical examination.
Abortion, Threatened↗
Pregancy complicated by acute myeloid leukaemia.
Combination cytotoxic chemotherapy was used to treat a case of acute myeloid leukaemia presenting in the 25th week of pregnancy with a sustained complete remission of the leukaemia and the successful delivery of a normal infant. The management of leukaemia presenting in pregnancy is discussed.
Adult↗
Routine fetal maturity estimation by ultrasound.
The accuracy of ultrasonic estimation of fetal maturity and, therefore, the delivery date is greatest when the biparietal diameteris less than 5.0 cm and least when it is greater than 9.0 cm. A comparison of the accuracy of ultrasonic and last menstrual period based estimations of the delivery date revealed that there is no significant increase in accuracy for ultrasonic estimations when the biparietal diameter is less than 9.0 cm, but when the diameter is greater than 9.0 cm the accuracy of delivery date estimation is significantly less than that based on the last menstrual period. In pregnancies complicated by uncertain dates, recent hormonal contraception, bleeding in early pregnancy, or an irregular or prolonged menstrual cycle, ultrasound is significantly more accurate in predicting the delivery date. Ultrasonic examination for fetal maturity is indicated only when there are clinical indications such as uncertain dates for some reason or when there is fundal height discrepancy.
Delivery, Obstetric↗
A comparison of early fetal growth curves.
The curves of the growth of the maximum fetal diameter and the biparietal diameter before 20 weeks of gestation, measured by ultrasound and derived from a New Zealand population, are presented. They are compared with other published growth curves and reveal that in the New Zealand population there is a greater variation from the mean. In the case of the maximum fetal diameter there is a significantly lower mean after 10 weeks of gestation.
Female↗
Preeclampsia and the patient with myasthenia gravis.
Three cases of myasthenia gravis in pregnancy are presented. In 2 cases there were moderately severe hypertension or preeclampsia and difficulty in controlling the myasthenia symptoms. The other case was uncomplicated. The possible relationship between myasthenia gravis and preeclampsia is discussed.
Adult↗
The use of ultrasound in threatened abortion.
One hundred and twenty-seven pregnancies complicated by painless vaginal bleeding before 20 weeks of gestation were scanned. In the 51 cases where pregnancy continued the scan was normal in 80%. In an additional 10% the only abnormalities were either a low placental implantation or a twin pregnancy, one sac of which was blighted. In another 6% the initial scan was difficult to interpret and a repeat scan was normal. In the remaining 2% an error was made. In the 76 cases where the pregnancy did not continue the scan was abnormal in 83%, there was a low placental implantation but no other abnormality in 4% and in an additional 6.5% a repeat scan was abnormal after an initial normal scan. In the remaining five cases there was one error, abortion occurred probably for obstetrical reasons in three and there was one twin pregnancy where only one sac was abnormal but both were aborted. Ectopic pregnancy was diagnosed in only 33% of cases while molar pregnancy was diagnosed in 75% and in the one which ultrasound failed to diagnose the appearances suggested abortion was inevitable.
Abortion, Spontaneous↗
Prognosis in threatened abortion: a comparison between predictions made by sonar urinary hormone assays and clinical judgement.
One hundred patients admitted to hospital with a diagnosis of threatened abortion were assessed by means of sonar, urinary oestrogen, pregnanediol and human chorionic gonadotrophin (HCG) assays and clinical examination. Assay of oestrogen excretion was the most accurate (86-5 per cent) in predicting the ultimate outcome of pregnancy, but did not give as much information as sonar examination which gave an accurate prognosis in 84 per cent of cases and was much quicker to perform The reasons for the sonar failures are discussed. Assay of urinary pregnanediol excretion gave an accurate indication of outcome in 74 per cent of cases and 24-hour urinary HCG in 70 per cent although random urinary HCG estimations provided an accurate prediciton in only 54-5 per cent of cases. Clinical examination presented the usual difficulties in assessing uterine size and predicting abortion from the amount of bleeding and pain.
Abortion, Threatened↗
An unusual cause of postmenopausal bleeding.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Adenocarcinoma↗
Estrogen-induced transcortin increase and progesterone and cortisol interactions: implications from pregnancy studies.
The concentrations of progesterone, cortisol, estradiol, and transcortin binding capacity (TBC) were measured in plasma samples of women during normal pregnancy. Between 10 weeks and 20 weeks gestation, the mean of TBC increased linearly, and the mean increase in TBC for a given estradiol increment was constant until the estradiol concentrations reached approximately 30 nmol per liter. The results were consistent with the increase in TBC having been induced by estradiol; however, there was an inherent upper limit of response. Progesterone and cortisol were each linearly related to TBC, but the ratios of progesterone:TBC and cortisol:TBC showed no systematic trend throughout the period studied, and there was no systematic relationship between TBC and the progesterone:cortisol ratio. There was, however, a linear relationship between TBC and the progesterone + cortisol sum, such that a unit increase in TBC was accompanied by an approximate unit increase in the total concentration of the two main transcortin binding steroids. Some cases of spontaneous abortion or habitual abortion might be due to aberrant metabolic influence on progesterone of binding protein; in the instances studied, no evidence was found for this.
Abortion, Spontaneous↗