Biomedical subjects

L Fedele

Publications and source records attributed to L Fedele.

At least 91 records · Page 5Linked to original sources

PubMed1993

Determinants of estrogen replacement therapy use in northern Italy.

Socio-demographic characteristics, general lifestyle habits and menstrual and reproductive history were compared in 83 women aged 45 years or more who had at some time used estrogen replacement therapy (ERT) and 1759 never users interviewed as control subjects in the framework of a large case-control survey on risk factors for gynecological neoplasms conducted in Northern Italy. ERT use was strongly related to social class and level of education. The odds ratio of "ever" use was 3.0 (95% confidence interval, CI, 1.8-5.1) for women with 12 or more years of education, compared with those with less than 7 years. No relationship emerged between marital status and ERT use, but parous women tended to be less frequently ever users than nulliparous, and ERT use decreased with increasing number of births (chi 2 1 trend = 10.51, p. = 0.001). Post-menopausal women reported more frequent ERT use than peri-menopausal ones, and among post-menopausal subjects the use was more frequent in those reporting earlier age at menopausal (chi 2 1 trend = 5.33, p = 0.02). There was no association between smoking habits and ERT use, but Quetelet's index was inversely related to the use of ERT.

Aged↗

PubMed1993

Hysteroscopic metroplasty with resectoscope or microscissors for the correction of septate uterus.

During 1990, we performed hysteroscopic incision of uterine septum in 23 women with repeated abortion. The patients were allocated randomly to metroplasty with resectoscope (12 patients in group 1) or microscissors (11 patients in group 2) to compare surgical feasibility and anatomic results with these instruments. The uterine cavity was distended by instillation of sorbitol and mannitol solution under manometric control. Two patients in group 1 and three in group 2 had a complete septum. In group 1, the mean operating time, plus or minus standard deviation (S.D.), was 22 +/- 6 minutes compared with 17 +/- 5 minutes in group 2 (p = 0.06). The mean amount of distension medium used, plus or minus S.D., was 890 +/- 153 milliliters in group 1 versus 671 +/- 170 milliliters in group 2 (p = 0.003). One woman in group 1 with complete uterine septum had a uterine perforation that was managed conservatively. Postoperative morbidity for the entire series was negligible. At follow-up ultrasonography and hysteroscopy performed two months postoperatively, a residual fundal notch > or = 1 centimeter deep was detected and corrected in four patients in group 1 and two in group 2. Our findings indicate that, in terms of operating time and efficacy, the resectoscope and microscissors are equally valid instruments to correct a septate uterus, with a feasibility rate of 100 percent.

Abortion, Habitual↗

PubMed1992

Risk factors for cervical intraepithelial neoplasia.

To evaluate risk factors for cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN), data were collected in a case-control study based on 366 patients (58 with CIN class 1, 70 with CIN class 2, and 238 with CIN class 3) and 323 control subjects with normal cervical smears interviewed on selected days at the same screening clinics where cases had been identified. No relationship emerged between indicators of socioeconomic status (education and social class) and risk of mild/moderate (considered together) and severe dysplasia. A total of 55 (43%) patients with CIN class 1 or 2, 107 (45%) patients with CIN class 3, and 94 (29%) controls were current smokers. The corresponding relative risk (RR) estimates for current versus never smokers were 1.9 (95% confidence interval [CI] 1.2 to 3.0) for patients with CIN class 1 or 2 and 2.5 (95% CI 1.7 to 3.6) for patients with CIN class 3, and the risk increased with the number of cigarettes smoked per day. No relationship was observed between oral contraceptive use, parity, spontaneous or induced abortions and the risk of CIN, but patients tended to report earlier age at first birth than control subjects. Compared with women reporting their first birth before the age of 20 years, the risk estimates were 0.5 and 0.4, respectively, for patients with CIN 1 or 2 and patients with CIN 3 in women reporting first birth at 20 to 24 years of age. The risk estimates were 0.5 and 0.6 for those reporting their first birth at age 25 or later, but the trends in risk were not statistically significant. The number of sexual partners was directly associated with the risk for both histopathologic subgroups. Compared with women reporting no intercourse or their first intercourse after 22 years of age, women with first intercourse before the age 18 had a RR estimate of CIN class 1 or 2 of 2.3 and of CIN class 3 of 2.4, with the trends in risk being statistically significant. This study confirms considerable similarities in the epidemiology of mild/moderate and severe cervical dysplasia. In addition, it suggests consistency between the epidemiology of intraepithelial and invasive cervical neoplasia for risk factors that are likely to act on one of the first stages of the process of carcinogenesis (i.e., indications of sexual habits) but differences for hormone-mediated factors (i.e., reproductive variables or oral contraceptives).

Abortion, Spontaneous↗

PubMed1992

Buserelin acetate versus expectant management in the treatment of infertility associated with minimal or mild endometriosis: a randomized clinical trial.

OBJECTIVE: We performed a randomized clinical trial to evaluate the efficacy of intranasal 400 micrograms buserelin three times daily for 6 months versus expectant management in the treatment of infertile women with pelvic endometriosis stage I or II of the revised American Fertility Society classification. STUDY DESIGN: Seventy-one consecutive patients (mean age 32 years) were studied at the First Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Milan, and the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Ospedali Riuniti, Bergamo, between February 1988 and June 1989. Thirty-five women were randomly allocated to buserelin treatment and 36 to expectant management. The baseline distribution of subjects for age, disease stage, and reproductive history was similar in the two groups. All patients were followed regularly; median follow-up was 17 months in the buserelin group and 18 months in the women given expectant management. If pregnancy did not occur within 12 months of randomization, cycles were monitored by ultrasonography and hormone measurements, and when abnormalities were detected clomiphene citrate and human chorionic gonadotropin were administered. RESULTS: A total of 17 pregnancies were observed both in the buserelin-treated patients and in the expectant management group. The 1- and 2-year actuarial overall pregnancy rates were similar in the two groups, 30% and 61% in the former and 37% and 61% in the latter group, respectively. Spontaneous abortion occurred in five of the 17 pregnancies in the women treated with buserelin and in one of the 17 in those managed expectantly; this difference was, however, not statistically significant (chi 1(2) adjusted for disease stage and use of clomiphene citrate and human chorionic gonadotropin treatment = 3.01, p = 0.08). No fetal death or stillbirth was observed. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that treatment with gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonists is unlikely to have a marked influence on the reproductive outcome of infertile women with minimal or mild endometriosis.

Adult↗

PubMed1992

Endometrial patterns during therapy with danazol or gestrinone for endometriosis: structural and ultrastructural study.

We treated 36 women with laparoscopically proven endometriosis with danazol 600 mg/d (n = 17) or gestrinone 5.0 mg/wk (n = 19) for 6 months. Endometrial samples were obtained before and at 3 and 6 months of treatment and were studied by light, scanning, and transmission electron microscopy. At 3 months of treatment, the endometria of the danazol-treated patients were more atrophic than those of the women who received gestrinone. Some cell organelle involution was evident in patients of both treatment groups. After 6 months of treatment, marked endometrial atrophy was observed in all the patients, including those in whom spotting had occurred. The ultrastructural investigation demonstrated complete involution of the cytoplasmic organelles with cytoplasmic collapse in glandular cells of patients treated with danazol, whereas in the gestrinone group degeneration phenomena were observed in both nucleus and cytoplasm. Irregular secretory transformation was seen in the endometria of patients in both groups. Long-term treatment with danazol caused endometrial atrophy similar to that induced by gestrinone, but it appeared earlier; thus, the former drug seems preferable in short-term treatment.

Adult↗

PubMed1992

Transvaginal ultrasonography in the differential diagnosis of adenomyoma versus leiomyoma.

OBJECTIVE: We evaluated the reliability of transvaginal ultrasonography in the differential diagnosis of adenomyoma versus leiomyoma. STUDY DESIGN: Preoperative transvaginal ultrasonographic results were compared with postoperative pathologic findings in 405 women who underwent surgery for symptomatic uterine nodularity. RESULTS: For adenomyoma diagnosis, transvaginal ultrasonography demonstrated a sensitivity of 87%, a specificity of 98%, a positive predictive value of 74.1%, and a negative predictive value of 98.6%, compared with a sensitivity of 96.1%, a specificity of 83.3%, a positive predictive value of 98.4%, and negative predictive value of 35.7% for leiomyoma diagnosis. CONCLUSION: Transvaginal ultrasonography is an effective, noninvasive, and relatively inexpensive procedure for the preoperative differential diagnosis of adenomyoma versus leiomyoma.

Adult↗

PubMed1992

Presacral neurectomy for the treatment of pelvic pain associated with endometriosis: a controlled study.

OBJECTIVE: Our objective was to evaluate the efficacy of presacral neurectomy combined with conservative surgery for the treatment of pelvic pain associated with endometriosis. STUDY DESIGN: In a randomized, controlled study performed in a tertiary institution 71 patients with moderate or severe endometriosis and midline dysmenorrhea were randomly assigned to conservative surgery alone (n = 36) or conservative surgery and presacral neurectomy (n = 35). Main outcome measures were relief of dysmenorrhea, pelvic pain, and deep dyspareunia after surgery according to a multidimensional and an analog pain scale. RESULTS: Presacral neurectomy markedly reduced the midline component of menstrual pain, but no statistically significant differences were observed between the two groups in the frequency and severity of dysmenorrhea, pelvic pain, and dyspareunia in the long-term follow-up. After presacral neurectomy, constipation developed or worsened in 13 patients and urinary urgency occurred in three and a painless first stage of labor in two. CONCLUSION: Presacral neurectomy should be combined with conservative surgery for endometriosis only in selected cases.

Adult↗

PubMed1992

Ultrastructural aspects of endometrial surface in Kartagener's syndrome.

The endometrium of an infertile patient with Kartagener's syndrome showed initial secretory phase characteristics at SEM, whereas TEM analysis demonstrated several alterations in the central and peripheral microtubular distribution in 87% of the cilia examined. Such aspects seemed appropriate for a normal implantation, but the ciliary immotility or dyskinesia could cause an altered flow of the endometrial secretions and compromise the upstream movement of the spermatozoa.

Adult↗

PubMed1992

Superovulation with human menopausal gonadotropins in the treatment of infertility associated with minimal or mild endometriosis: a controlled randomized study.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the efficacy of superovulation with buserelin acetate, human menopausal gonadotropins (hMG), and human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) in the treatment of infertility associated with minimal or mild endometriosis. DESIGN: Prospective, randomized, controlled study. SUBJECTS: Forty-nine infertile women with a laparoscopic diagnosis of endometriosis stage I (n = 29) or II (n = 20) according to the revised American Fertility Society classification, randomly assigned to three superovulation cycles (n = 24) or 6 months' expectant management (n = 25). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Cycle fecundity rates and cumulative pregnancy rates (CPR) in the two groups. RESULTS: Nine pregnancies were obtained in the superovulation-treated patients and six in the nontreated ones. The cycle fecundity rates and CPR were 0.15% and 37.4% after three superovulation cycles and 0.045% and 24% after 6 months of expectant management (P less than 0.05 and P = not significant, respectively). The women who did not achieve a pregnancy after three cycles of superovulation were followed for a total of 50 months during which no therapy was given. One pregnancy started in this period (cycle fecundity rate = 0.020). One spontaneous abortion occurred in each group. Three treated patients had multiple pregnancies, and four had ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome. CONCLUSION: Superovulation seems to be associated with a better cycle fecundity rate but not a better CPR than expectant management in infertile women with endometriosis stages I and II. The efficacy and side effects of this therapeutic approach should be evaluated in larger series.

Adult↗

PubMed1992

Oral contraceptive use and risk of uterine fibroids.

The association between oral contraceptive (OC) use and the risk of uterine fibroids was analyzed in a case-control study conducted between 1986-1990. The subjects were 390 patients under 55 years of age with histologically confirmed fibroids and 1136 controls in hospitals for a spectrum of acute conditions (other than gynecologic, hormonal, or neoplastic) apparently unrelated to OC use. A total of 78 cases (20%) and 200 controls (18%) reported OC use. Compared with never-users, the multivariate relative risk for ever-users was 1.1 (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.8-1.5). No direct relationship emerged with duration of use, the estimated relative risk being 1.3 (95% CI 0.9-2.0) in users of OCs for less than 3 years and 0.8 (95% CI 0.5-1.3) in users for 3 years or more. The risk of fibroids was apparently (though not significantly) greater with longer recency of use: The estimated relative risks were 0.9 and 1.5, respectively, in women reporting last OC use less than 10 years before and 10 or more years before diagnosis of the disease. No relationship emerged with latency of use. There was no noteworthy interaction regarding risk of fibroids between OC use and potential covariates. These findings suggest that fibroids are unrelated to the use of OCs.

Abortion, Induced↗

PubMed1992

Determinants of caesarean section rates in Italy.

OBJECTIVE: To analyse the determinants of caesarean section rates in Italy. DESIGN: Analysis of information using a standard form on all the deliveries after the 28th week of gestation routinely collected by the Italian Central Institute of Statistics. SETTING: National data of all Italian deliveries in the periods 1980-1983. SUBJECTS: A total of more than 2,400,000 deliveries occurred in Italy in the period and are considered in this analysis. RESULTS: The frequency of caesarean section rose from 11.2/100 deliveries in 1980 to 14.5/100 in 1983. Caesarean section rates were lower in the Southern (less rich) areas, and rose steadily with maternal age, being about three times higher in women aged greater than or equal to 40 years than in teenagers. Maternal education was directly associated with caesarean section rates: compared with women with only primary school education, those with a college education reported an about 40% higher rate of caesarean section, but this difference dropped markedly after allowance for maternal age and birthweight. The section rate was 13.3/100 deliveries in public hospitals and 11.8/100 in private ones, but this reflected the different utilization of public and private services in various geographical areas. Birthweight and gestational age at delivery were important determinants of caesarean section rates; lowest values were observed for very-low-birthweight and very preterm deliveries and babies weighing 3000-3999 g and term deliveries. Caesarean section rates were about 20% higher in nulliparous than in parous women and the rates increased with number of stillbirths or miscarriages; further, the rate ratio was about double in multiple than in single births. CONCLUSION: Caesarean section rates in Italy in the early 1980s were still lower than in North America, but their determinants share several similarities with those reported in other areas.

Birth Weight↗

PubMed1992

Hypervolemic pulmonary edema and severe coagulopathy after intrauterine dextran instillation.

A healthy young woman with recurrent spontaneous abortion and septate uterus underwent hysteroscopic metroplasty with intracavitary instillation of 1350 mL of 10% dextran 40 in normal saline. After the operation, the patient developed acute hypervolemic pulmonary edema and severe coagulopathy due to temporary impairment of platelet function. Fluid overload, which could have been caused by the hyperosmolar properties of dextran, worsened progressively as fluids were drawn from the interstitial space and urine output was reduced. The use of a dilute and/or low-molecular-weight dextran solution to distend the uterine cavity during operative hysteroscopy is not without risk of complications.

Acute Disease↗

PubMed1992

Risk factors for ectopic pregnancy: an Italian case-control study.

OBJECTIVE: To analyze risk factors for ectopic pregnancy in a population at low risk for the disease. METHODS: Between September 1989 and February 1991 in Milan, we conducted a case-control study on 120 cases of ectopic pregnancy and 209 controls. The control subjects gave birth at term (more than 37 weeks' gestation) to healthy infants on randomly selected days at the same hospitals where the cases had been identified. RESULTS: The risk of ectopic gestation was about 40% higher in smokers than in controls, and the risk estimates increased with the number of cigarettes smoked per day (chi 2(1) trend 4.21, P = .04) and the duration of smoking (chi 2(1) trend 7.31, P < .01). However, smoking was not associated with the risk of ectopic pregnancy after adjustment for potential confounding factors (including history of pelvic inflammatory disease) in a multivariate analysis (relative risks [RRs] for ten or fewer and more than ten cigarettes per day versus no smoking were 0.8 and 1.1, respectively; chi 2(1) trend 0.10, P = not significant). Infertility problems or difficulty in conception were reported by 32% of the cases and 10% of the controls; the corresponding multivariate RR was 4.7 (95% confidence interval [CI] 2.3-9.5). A history of abdominal surgery was associated with about double the risk of ectopic pregnancy (multivariate RR 2.4, 95% CI 1.4-4.2). Similar estimates were found when the analysis was performed considering various types of surgery separately such as appendectomy, cesarean delivery, and other abdominal surgery. Finally, the risk of ectopic pregnancy was higher in women reporting a history of pelvic inflammatory disease (RR 2.7, 95% CI 0.9-8.7) and increased with the number of sexual partners (chi 2(1) trend 4.51, P = .03). CONCLUSIONS: Problems of infertility or difficulties in conception, history of pelvic inflammatory disease/salpingitis, and abdominal surgery are the main risk factors for ectopic pregnancy in this Italian study. Sexual habits also appear to have some independent effect.

Adult↗

PubMed1992

Endometriosis and nonobstructive müllerian anomalies.

We reviewed the case records of all women (N = 748) who underwent laparoscopy for infertility in our department from 1985-1990. The patients were divided into two groups, cases and controls, according to the presence of nonobstructive müllerian anomalies (N = 198) or absence of such anomalies (N = 545); women with obstructive müllerian anomalies (N = 5) were excluded. The patients were analyzed for the presence of endometriosis, malformation class, and productive history. The frequency of endometriosis was 30.8% in the women with nonobstructive müllerian anomalies, versus 38.5% in the controls (P = .209). Among the subjects with unicornuate uterus, the prevalence of endometriosis (55%) was significantly greater compared with the patients with other nonobstructive müllerian anomalies (28%) (P less than .05), but not compared with the controls (38.5%). Overall, no differences were observed in the frequency of endometriosis between infertile women with and without nonobstructive müllerian anomalies. Our results seem to exclude a common pathogenetic factor underlying endometriosis and nonobstructive müllerian anomalies.

Adult↗

PubMed1992

Pain symptoms associated with endometriosis.

We evaluated the prevalence and severity of dysmenorrhea, pelvic pain, and deep dyspareunia and their relation to disease stage and site in 124 infertile women with endometriosis and 67 infertile women with normal findings. Seventy-eight endometriosis patients had stages I-II disease and 46 had stages III-IV. The frequency of dysmenorrhea was similar in patients and controls; pelvic pain was more frequent only in patients with stages III-IV, whereas deep dyspareunia was more prevalent regardless of disease stage. Dysmenorrhea was significantly more severe in stages III-IV patients than in either stages I-II patients or controls. Pelvic pain was more severe in stages III-IV, but we observed a statistically significant difference only in comparison with stages I-II. An association of two or more pain symptoms was more frequent in women with endometriosis than in those with normal pelves (relative risk = 3.1, 95% confidence interval 1.52-6.46). Ovarian endometriomas were the only lesions significantly associated with severe dysmenorrhea and pelvic pain. We conclude that endometriosis in infertile women causes pelvic pain, the severity of which is related to the extent of the disease.

Adult↗

PubMed1992

Determinants of perinatal and infant mortality in Italy.

Determinants of stillbirths, perinatal and infant mortality in Italy have been analyzed using information collected routinely by the Italian Central Institute of Statistics on more than 2,400,000 births and 33,000 infant deaths in the period 1980-1983. Individual records included data on maternal (i.e. age, education, obstetric history) and fetal characteristics (sex, birth weight, gestational week at birth). The Italian stillbirth, perinatal and infant (1st-365th day of life) mortality rates in the period considered were respectively 7.7/1000 births, 16.4/1000 births and 13.5/1000 livebirths. Perinatal and infant mortality was extremely elevated in the very-low-birth-weight category. About 90% of liverbirths weighing less than 1000 g died within the first year of life, but this fell to about 45% in babies weighing 1000-1499 g. Among other factors, stillbirth, perinatal and infant mortality rates were elevated among males, born to older women and in higher birth rank and multiple pregnancies. These findings persisted, although less markedly, after adjustment for weight. Mortality rates were about 50-70% higher in less educated women. This finding was not markedly changed after adjustment for birth weight and maternal age, suggesting that socio-economic factors are per se important determinants of perinatal and infant mortality in Italy.

Birth Weight↗

PubMed1992

Transvaginal ultrasonography in the diagnosis of diffuse adenomyosis.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the diagnostic capability of transvaginal ultrasonography in detecting diffuse adenomyosis. DESIGN: We compared the preoperative transvaginal ultrasound (US) findings and the pathological findings of the surgical specimen in a series of women who underwent hysterectomy for menorrhagia. PATIENTS: Forty-three women (mean [+/- SD] age of 46 +/- 5) with recurrent menorrhagia and enlarged uterus, without evidence of uterine leiomyomas at abdominal US and of endometrial disease at vabra curettage. SETTING: Tertiary care center, university medical school. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Sensitivity, specificity, predictive positive and negative values of transvaginal US in the diagnosis of diffuse adenomyosis. RESULTS: The sonographer diagnosed adenomyosis in 22 patients, whereas the pathologist found adenomyosis in 20 women, confirming the US findings in 16 cases and making an ex novo diagnosis in 4. The sensitivity of transvaginal US was 80%, the specificity 74%, the predictive value of a normal test 81%, and that of an abnormal test 73%. CONCLUSIONS: Transvaginal US seems to represent a real advance in the preoperative diagnosis of diffuse adenomyosis.

Adult↗

PubMed1991

Endometrial patterns during danazol and cyproterone acetate treatment for endometriosis: structural and ultrastructural study.

We studied the endometrial structure and ultrastructure in serial biopsies from 16 patients with endometriosis treated with danazol (n = 9) or the combination cyproterone acetate plus ethinyl estradiol (n = 7) for 6 months. Biopsies were performed before and at 3 and 6 months of treatment. The material obtained was studied by light (LM), scanning (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). A morphometric analysis was performed evaluating three morphometric and three stereologic indices. The results indicate that danazol had a progestational effect on endometrial glands and stroma, associated with a marked hypotrophy of the mucosa. The cyproterone acetate/ethinyl estradiol combination induced progressive atrophy of the endometrium with an increase in the stromal component and a reduction of glandular tissue.

Adult↗