The use of pulsed high-frequency therapy (curapuls) in gynecology and obstetrics.
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Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to L Rauramo.
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The etiology of premalignant cervical lesions was investigated anamnestically in teenagers. The material comprised of 54 patients (mean age 18.0 years, range 12--19 years) treated in 1973--77. Early coital practise and frequent change of sexual partners were usual. Previous abortions and frequent genital infections were also typical. The rising frequency of dysplasias in young age groups calls for increased general knowledge and information even among teenagers and, if possible, mass screening.
Oestrogens increase plasma renin activity (PRA) by inducing synthesis of renin substrate in the liver. This is proved clinically by the synthetic oestrogens of oral contraceptives and by the equine conjugated oestrogens in postmenopausal therapy. The effect of endogenous oestrogen production on the activity of the renin-aldosterone system is not clear, but progesterone is an important stimulus of renin release in the luteal phase of menstrual cycle. We studied 15 premenopausal women undergoing bilateral oophorectomy. Eight women had high mean serum oestradiol level 1.2 +/- 0.6 (SD) nmol/l for follicular cysts or for a prolonged climacteric proliferation phase. Seven women had normal follicular oestradiol level (0.2 +/- 0.1 nmol/l). In PRA or daily urinary aldosterone excretion (dU-Ald) no differences could be found between the groups. In one month after oophorectomy no changes in PRA or dU-Ald were found in either group, while the serum oestradiol fell to unmeasurable levels. The results suggest that endogenous oestrogens are not to cause activation of the renin-aldosterone axis as measured by the clinically useful PRA and dU-Ald. The result is in agreement with previous reports of postmenopausal therapy with oestriol succinate or oestradiol valerate.
The effect of pulsed high-frequency therapy has been investigated in 25 patients, who had various chronic vulval lesions resulting in continuous, annoying pruritus, smarting or pain, resistant to conventional therapy. The beneficial effect of pulsed high-frequency therapy was either definite or good in 80% of all the cases.
High affinity cytoplasmic estrogen receptors in the endometrium, myometrium and ovary of 15 climacteric women were studied. In addition, the concurrent serum estradiol and progesterone level of each woman was estimated and the endometrium examined histologically. The cytoplasmic estrogen receptor level of the endometrium and myometrium had remained extremely high in some cases several years after the menopause and in the presence of a completely atrophied endometrium. The lowest endometrial and myometrial estrogen receptor levels in pre-menopausal women were measured towards the end of the menstrual cycle. The eodometrial estrogen receptor level was roughly 2--3 times the comparable myometrial level. Estrogen receptors were also encountered in all cases in the cervical myometrium. The estrogen receptor levels of the ovary were low in all cases.
The effects of estriol succinate (Synapause, 2 mg daily) on the renin-aldosterone system and blood pressure (RR) were studied in 14 postmenopausal women after bilateral oophorectomy. Plasma renin activity (PRA) and daily urinary aldosterone excretion (dU-Ald) were determined 1 mth after the operation and before estrogen treatment, at the end of 2 mth therapy, and, for the third time, 2 mth after the termination of treatment with the drug. No changes in PRA, dU-Ald or RR were found in normotensive women, or in 3 women with hypertension in this group. Another group of 11 postmenopausal women was investigated after long-term estriol succinate therapy, which had lasted for 5-8 yr after oophorectomy. PRA, dU-Ald and RR were measured during treatment and 2 mth after terminating the therapy. No changes were found either in hormone differences in the mean levels of PRA or dU-Ald. The results suggest that estriol succinate is devoid of general harmful effects on the renin-aldosterone system during postmenopausal therapy for climacteric symptoms.
Serum oestriol, oestrone and 17 beta-oestradiol concentrations during oral oestriol succinate treatment were investigated in ovariectomized women. Either a single dose of 8 mg or two doses of 4 mg were given daily. With the second divided dosage the serum oestriol levels remained uniform. The oestriol concentrations were clearly higher than in the beginning or in the middle of the normal menstrual cycle in the fertile woman. With both treatment schemes the ratio E3/(E2 + E1) was clearly higher than before treatment and during the normal menstrual cycle. Oestriol succinate treatment lowered the ratio E1/(E2 + E3), which was rather similar to the one during normal menstrual cycle.
Serum oestrone, oestradiol and oestriol concentrations were investigated during oral treatment with oestradiol valerate and oestriol succinate in ovariectomized women. The dosages used were 1 mg oestradiol valerate in the morning and 2 mg oestriol succinate in the evening of the first day and 2 mg oestradiol valerate in the morning of the second day of treatment. The other group of patients received the same therapy in reverse order. The variation in the serum oestrone and oestradiol concentrations with a daily dose of 1 or 2 mg of oestradiol valerate were considerable. 2 mg oestriol succinate caused a fairly small elevation of serum oestriol concentration. In both treatment groups the quotient E3/(E2 + E1) was similar to that found at the 6-7th day and in the middle of the normal menstrual cycle, the quotient E1/(E2 + E3) was somewhat higher than during normal cycle.
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The effects of various doses recommended for clinical use of oestradiolvalerate and oestriolsuccinate on urine calcium/creatinine, serum FSH and endometrium were investigated in two castrated women. Oestrogen treatments were given in 6-week periods separated by 2 weeks without treatment. After various oestrogen treatments, serum FSH generally decreased clearly and urine calcium/creatinine slightly. The proliferative effect on endometrium was investigated histologically. In no period was a hyperplastic endometrium found.
Electrophysiological parameters were studied in 32 gynecological patients before and after major gynecological surgery. No changes in maximal nerve conduction velocity or simple reaction time could be found after either hysterectomy or ovariectomy. Of the 20 ovariectomized patients, 3 developed subjective symptoms and electrophysiological signs of the carpal tunnel syndrome within a few months after surgery. Thus the carpal tunnel syndrome, which is common in women of menopausal age, seems to be precipitated also by iatrogenic menopause. The present findings indicate that ovarian relaxin overproduction cannot be the basis of the carpal tunnel syndrome, but they are consistent with the view that the syndrome is a sign of hypothalamichypophyseal overactivity or imbalance.
The effect of three years oestriol succinate therapy (2 mg/day) on the skin was studied in 20 castrated women whose average age was 48 years. A control group whose average age was also 48 years, consisted of 7 patients who did not receive any treatment after castration. There was no significant reduction in epidermal thickness during the three year course of oestriol succinate therapy. On the other hand the significant thinning of the epidermis in the control group was observed three years after oophorectomy. The difference between the 3H-thymidine labelling indices in oestrogen and control groups was not significant three years after castration.
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A bacterial culture was taken from the cervix in 85 sexually active women before, and 3 and 6 months after, insertion of either a copper-releasing or an inert intra-uterine contraceptive device (IUD). Sixty had a Copper-T (TCu-200) and 25 a Lippes loop D. Although in more than a quarter of the patients the bacterial flora increased slightly in diversity and abundance after IUD insertion, there was no difference in effect between the TCu-200 and Lippes loop D.
The physical fitness of 120 healthy primigravidae was determined two weeks before term using first the standardized three-stage submaximal work test on the following day the voluntarily maximal pulse-conducted work test on a bicycle ergometer. After the first test the level of lactic acid in the capillary circulation of 115 mothers was examined. Immediately after delivery the pH and the level of lactic acid in the maternal artery, umbilical vein and umbilical artery were determined. The level of lactic acid after the work test was negatively correlated with the physical performance of the mother. The level of lactic acid in the mother after the work test and the levels of lactic acid in the umbilical vessels were positively correlated. The mean pH value in physically fit women after delivery was almost significantly higher than in the women of below average performance. The pH level in the umbilical artery was also almost significantly higher in the mothers with above average performance. The physically fit women appear to work more during delivery than the less fit mothers, as the level of lactic acid after the delivery was as high as or higher than in mothers with a physical performance below average. The physical fitness of six mothers, who delivered an asphyxiated baby, was almost significantly lower than the performance of the mothers. Five mothers with an exceptionally high pH after delivery had a significantly higher performance than the other mothers.
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The use of megavoltage therapy has in some investigations been shown to be associated with improvement in the prognosis of gynaecological carcinoma. Our purpose was to clarify whether the character or number of complications has changed with the increased effectiveness of treatment. During the years 1967-1970 a total of 449 cases of gynaecological carcinoma (cervical, endometrial, ovarian) were treated at the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology and the Department of Radiation Therapy, Turku University; tele-Cobalt was used for external radiation. The comparison period was the years 1963-1965 when 289 patients were treated, the external radiation then in use being X-ray therapy. Intracavitary radiation was given in both groups using the modified Stockholm method for cervical carcinoma and the Heyman method for endometrial carcinoma. Operative activity was about the same in both periods. Patients with cervical carcinoma treated with tele-Cobalt appeared to have a higher frequency of severe intestinal complications (12.4%) than patients receiving X-ray therapy (6.0%); the difference was not, however, statistically significant. The same is true concerning the treatment groups of ovarian cancer (4.8% and 0% respectively) and those of endometrial carcinoma (5.2% and 1.2%). However, if all the patients as a group are considered and also those with urological complications, the difference was significant (p less than 0.05), the frequency of complications being 7.6% for patients treated with tele-Cobalt and 4.2% for those treated with X-ray therapy. One must take into account that in all cases the most difficult complications were seen in patients treated with tele-Cobalt, where surgical treatment was necessary in 29%.