Prenatal diagnosis of congenital toxoplasmosis: the role of Toxoplasma IgA antibodies in amniotic fluid.
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Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to G Body.
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Massive fetomaternal haemorrhage (FMH) occurs in 0.12 to 0.5% of pregnancies. It is most often spontaneous and involves uncomplicated near-term pregnancies. It causes fetal anaemia, with or without fetal distress and hydrops fetalis. To our knowledge only one paper has reported a neurological complication (hemiplegia). We describe one case of FMH (maximal Kleihauer test = 6.5%) at 28 weeks gestation, which was spontaneous, reversible, associated with sinusoidal fetal heart rare (FHR) and hydrops fetalis; and complicated by an intraventricular antenatal haemorrhage at 30 weeks gestation. Echographic abnormalities decreased. The infant was born at 40 weeks gestation. Clinical examination was normal during the first week of life. At the age of 4 1/2 months, examination showed axial hypotonia and moderated dilatation of intracerebral lateral ventricules without any other brain damage. At the age of 24 months, the child had retarded walking and hypotonia. The outcome was spontaneously favourable with disappearance in utero of the intraventricular haemorrhage (HIV), without hydrocephalia or ischaemic lesions. Three cases of similar FMH have been reported but none of them described cerebral complications. Intrauterine intravascular transfusion should be proposed early. No single pathophysiological mechanism of FMH has been universally accepted and there is no aetiological treatment. The risk of recurrence of FMH in later pregnancies requires careful follow-up.
Diagnostic procedures used in 9 cases of pseudo-uterus unicornis were presented. There are no manifestations of this malformation excepting during pregnancy and rare episodes of uncontrollable dysmenorrhoea. If pregnancy develops in the rudimentary cornis, major complications require hemihysterectomy.
We report diagnosis and treatment problems encountered in 4 cases of adenocarcinoma in situ (AIS) of the uterine cervix. The patients' ages ranged from 24 to 45 years. In 2 cases, Pap smears revealed strips of cells showing crowded nuclei and pseudostratification of AIS. In 3 cases, the diagnosis of AIS was confirmed from a colposcopically directed biopsy and, in the last case, from a surgical cone biopsy. In 3 cases, AIS was found to be associated with cervical squamous intraepithelial neoplasia. In all cases, it was difficult to rule out an early invasive adenocarcinoma. Three patients underwent total abdominal hysterectomy. The topographic data of lesions, notably the presence of endocervical AIS in hysterectomy specimen realised 4 years after conization, and a review of literature lead us to propose hysterectomy as a basic treatment. If conization is chosen, it should be cylindrical with adequate diameter and height.
Spontaneous abortion (SA) is the most common complication of pregnancy and is estimated to be between 15 to 20% of all clinical pregnancies. However for "recurrent spontaneous abortion" (RSA) the frequency is more difficult to determine (between 0.05 to 1%). The purpose of this paper is to review the literature concerning RSA etiologies. Particular attention has been paid to the male factors contribution in RSA. Because of the poverty of controlled studies, answers to questions about the RSA are very difficult.
Two pregnant patients presented with Takayasu's disease predominating in the major branches of the aorta. There was no extention below the diaphragm and no complications. One of the patients had Still's disease which is a predominantly cutaneous form without chronic arthritis. Both pregnancies were uneventful excepting dysgravidia in one case. Two eutrophic infants were born at term. The risk of Takayasu's arteritis associated with pregnancy, as reported in the literature, is mainly due to the consequences of arterial hypertension with pre-eclampsia (60%), heart failure and cerebral vascular events (5%). The major fetal risk is in utero death (2 to 5%), but intra-uterine growth retardation is more frequent (18%). The risk is greatest during the third trimester and during the perinatal period. Fetal involvement is greatest in sever cases and in those treated late. Prevention is based on the initial work-up to identify the disease and possible complications, programming pregnancies and increasing surveillance during periods of risk, defining the delivery route with cesarean section reserved for complications of arteritis (30%), and planned labour with instrumental extraction and epidural anaesthesia with control of the blood pressure. Still's disease has no particular consequence on pregnancy, although sequellae of chronic arthritis of the pelvis may have an impact on obstetrical technique. An association with Takayasu's disease is rare with only one case being reported in the literature; aetiopathology remains unknown.
Surgical treatment for endometrial carcinomas stage I and II is radical hysterectomy. The role of lymphadenectomy (pelvic and paraaortic) is under discussion. From a retrospective study (multivariate analysis of 320 patients treated by radiosurgical association) and a review of the literature, the authors limit the indications of lymphadenectomy to stage I grade 1 or 2 tumours and without deep tumours invasion into the myometrium (in that case only 10% of pelvic nodes will be involved). Stage II patients or stage I with grade 3 and/or deep tumour invasion into the myometrium do not require lymphadenectomy as post-operative pelvic external beam irradiation will be performed in all cases. Para-aortic lymphadenectomy is not useful as it increases morbidity and the adjuvant treatment in case of lymph node involvement does not improve the survival rate.
OBJECTIVE: Determine the circumstances and conditions concerning ethical problems raised by medical abortions treated in a University hospital. METHODS: Prospective study for 2 years (1 Sept 1991--31 Aug 1993) conducted with a consulting Committee for the antenatal diagnosis and fetal medicine at the University Hospital at Tours. Each discussion of the medical file for proposed medical abortions, the conditions leading to the decision and the ethical recommendations formulated were registered as well as the outcome of the pregnancy and for the infant. RESULTS: There were 76 cases raising ethical problems. They were divided into 3 categories of recommendations: medical abortion (55 cases), abstention with acceptation of possible fetal death in utero (11 cases), conservation of the pregnancy (10 cases). CONCLUSION: A practical attitude could usually be decided after discussion between parents and physicians. A few cases of disagreement were observed which led to uncertainty [correction of incertainty] and diverging opinions concerning the diagnosis and prognosis for the fetal pathology.
BACKGROUND: The traditional surgical treatment for operable breast carcinoma larger than 3 cm is mastectomy. To avoid mutilating surgery, the authors administered primary chemotherapy to 158 patients with operable nonmetastatic large breast carcinoma with a TNM classification of T2 greater than 3 cm and T3 with a lymph node status of N0-N1. Conservative treatment was proposed for patients responding to the chemotherapy and whose tumor was reduced to 3 cm or less. The purpose of the study was to evaluate the feasibility and treatment results of this strategy. METHODS: The mean patient age was 50.4 years. Eighty-two patients had T2 carcinomas greater than 3 cm, and 76 had T3 carcinoma. Fifty-four tumors were classified as lymph node status N0, and 104 as N1. Mean tumor size was 5.6 cm. Patients were treated with three courses of the NVCF regimen (mitoxantrone, vindesin, cyclophosphamide, and 5-fluorouracil) or the EVCF regimen, in which mitoxantrone was replaced by epirubicin every 4 weeks, and then administered with a radiosurgical combination. RESULTS: The overall response rate to induction chemotherapy was 60.8% with 20.2% complete tumor regression. Twenty-one percent of the patients experienced grade 3 or 4 chemotherapy toxic effects, which were all acceptable and reversible. Breast-conserving treatment was feasible in 48.7% of patients (77 of 158). Forty-five patients (28.5%) were treated with a radiosurgical combination (tumorectomy plus radiation therapy), whereas 32 (20.2%) were treated with radiotherapy alone (external irradiation and brachytherapy). Other patients were treated with mastectomy. Age, tumor stage, histology, hormonal status, and hormonal receptor rate had no influence on the frequency of the observed regressions. Isolated recurrences occurred in 11 patients, 6 who were treated conservatively and 5 who were treated with mastectomy. Metastatic relapses were observed in 38 patients (14.6% in the chemotherapy responders and 38.7% in the nonresponders) (P < 0.02). Five-year actuarial survival was 73.2% and was significantly higher for responders to the induction treatment. CONCLUSION: These preliminary results suggest that primary chemotherapy and radiosurgical breast-conserving treatment is feasible and is an alternative to mastectomy for patients with large operable breast carcinoma who are responders to the induction treatment. The long term benefit of this strategy must be evaluated in well designed controlled trials.
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OBJECTIVE: To ascertain the correlations between the histology and radiology of microcalcifications revealing subclinical carcinoma. TYPE OF STUDY: A retrospective series of 127 exereses of microcalcifications of the breast identified on preoperative radiographs. RESULTS: Histology revealed 43 (33.9%) carcinomas including 72% in situ cancers and 17 borderline lesions (13.3%) for a total of 47.2% cancerous or high risk lesions. 56% of the malignant lesions were diagnosed by mammography during screening. In most cases, conservative treatment was carried out. Axillary node invasion was not found in any of the cases of in situ carcinoma. 16% of the invasive carcinomas were pN+. Re-examination of the radiographs revealed that there was a correlation between the histology and the radiographic findings. 68% (n = 59) of the localizations with less than 30 microcalcifications were benign and 73% (n = 30) were malignant. The triangular appearance of the microcalcification localizations rwas in favour of a carcinoma in 88% (n = 22) cases. The polymorphism microcalcifications within a given localization was suggestive of malignancy in 69% (n = 25%). On the basis of data in the literature, different criteria can be used to provide precise information preoperatively.
Sciatic nerve endometriosis is rare but must be included in the sciatic pain aetiology diagnosis. Typically the patient's sciatic pain is cyclic. Electromyography and computed tomographic scanning or nuclear resonance imagery contribute to the diagnosis. Different mechanisms of this localization have been proposed. The patient often requires conservative surgery with excision of endometriosis from the nerve. Medical treatment (LH-RH analogues) may be associated in young patients who need to preserve reproductive function. Total hysterectomy with bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy may be mandatory in stage III or IV endometriosis and older patients.
PURPOSE: The traditional surgical treatment for operable breast cancer larger than 3 cm is mastectomy. In order to avoid mutilating surgery, we administered primary chemotherapy to 80 patients with operable non metastatic large breast cancer T2 > 3 cm and T3, N0-N1. The purpose of the study was to evaluate the breast-conserving rate induced by this treatment strategy and determine if it is a safe alternative for women with locally advanced breast carcinomas that are responders to an induction chemotherapy. METHODS AND MATERIALS: The mean age was 50.1 years. Forty-three patients were T2 > 3 cm, 37 were T3. Twenty-six were N0 and 54 were N1. Mean tumor size was 5.4 cm. Patients were treated with three courses of the MVCF regimen (Mitoxantrone, Vindesin, Cyclophosphamide, and 5 Fluorouracil) every 4 weeks and then with a radiosurgical combination. RESULTS: The overall response rate to induction chemotherapy was 51% with 17.5% complete tumor regression. Twenty-one percent of the patients developed grade 3 or 4 chemotherapy toxic effects, all acceptable and reversible. Breast-conserving treatment was feasible in 42.5% (34/80). Twenty patients (25%) were treated with a radiosurgical combination (tumorectomy+radiation therapy), 14 (17.5%) with radiotherapy alone (external irradiation and brachytherapy). Age, tumor stage, histology, hormonal status, hormonal receptors rate had no influence on the frequency of the observed regressions. Isolated recurrences occurred in five patients, two conservatively treated and three treated with mastectomy. Metastatic relapses were observed in 20 patients (12% in the responders and 38.5% in the non responders to chemotherapy) (p < 0.02). Five-year actuarial survival was 73% and was significantly better for responders to the induction treatment. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that primary chemotherapy and radiosurgical breast conserving treatment is a safe alternative to mastectomy for patients with locally advanced operable breast cancer. The long-term benefit of this strategy must be evaluated in well designed controlled trials.
A case report of delayed delivery of a quadruplet pregnancy is presented. This quadruplet pregnancy resulted from in-vitro fertilization. To our knowledge, this case represents the first report of quadruplets delivered on three separate days using the technique of delayed interval delivery. All infants survived and are healthy 2 years later.
Small cell carcinoma of the ovary is a rare histological form which is highly malignant. We have decided to consider this as an epithelial tumour after studying it with the optical and the electron microscope. It is however difficult to put it in to a definite type because it is highly undifferentiated. On the clinical level small cell carcinoma is different from other ovarian cancers in several respects. Whereas ovarian tumours usually tend to occur in menopausal women in the fifth or sixth decade of life, small cell carcinomas of the ovary occur mainly in younger women of ages between 10 and 38 years. Furthermore, women who are attacked by this kind of a carcinoma tend to die very soon after the diagnosis has been made without receiving any benefit from the many therapies that have been tried to improve the prognosis. We have studied the condition after seeing two cases of small cell carcinoma in the University Gynaecological Department of Tours, and we have made a study of the literature. We have studied the therapeutic angle for these tumours and we have tried to find out what the best technique will be to cope with this awful prognosis. We discuss whether it might be worthwhile in future to intensify therapy in combination with bone marrow autotransplantation.