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Biomedical subjects

M Zilianti

Publications and source records attributed to M Zilianti.

17 recordsLinked to original sources

Monitoring the effacement of the uterine cervix by transperineal sonography: a new perspective.

The objective of this study is to monitor the process of effacement of the uterine cervix and demonstrate that transperineal sonography is the appropriate technique for this purpose. Eighty-six patients with normal, term pregnancies were studied at the beginning of labor. Transperineal sonography was performed in transverse and longitudinal planes. After the initial examination, patients were reexamined several times during a 1 to 4 hour period. We observed a progressive shortening of the canal and the synchronous opening of a funnel-shaped internal cervical os. When the funneling process reached the lower end of the cervix, both orifices fused, completing the process of effacement. The dilatation of the external os, which remained stationary during initial phase, increases very quickly once the effacement has been completed. Transperineal sonography efficiently imaged the changes described here.

Cervix Uteri↗

Transperineal sonography in second trimester to term pregnancy and early labor.

We studied the diagnostic potential of transperineal sonography in 184 pregnant women from midtrimester to term pregnancies and at early labor. In 65 patients in false labor, we established cervical effacement and dilatation. We confirmed the clinical diagnosis of premature rupture of the membranes (PROM) in 27 cases and assessed the placental relationship with the internal cervical os in 20 patients. In 61 women in early labor we measured cervical dilatation, and in 11 patients we looked for details of fetal anatomy. Adequate diagnostic information was obtained in 180 cases (97%). Our results and data from the literature suggest that transperineal sonography is the imaging technique of choice in the situations we studied.

Breech Presentation↗

Ultrasound evaluation of the distal femoral epiphyseal ossification center as a screening test for intrauterine growth retardation.

In a heterogeneous group of 226 pregnant women, a retrospective study was done of the relation between the distal femoral epiphyseal ossification center detected by ultrasound and the birth weights of the infants. The ossification center of the femur was detectable in 202 of the 208 infants appropriate for gestational age; it was undetectable in 15 of the 18 infants small for gestational age. Because our results compared favorably with those reached by more complicated methods in the literature, we propose that the distal femoral epiphyseal ossification center be used as a screening test for intrauterine growth retardation.

Birth Weight↗

Correlation of ultrasonic images of fetal intestine with gestational age and fetal maturity.

In 276 scans of 81 gravid patients, changes in the ultrasonic images of the fetal intestine, particularly the colon, are described at advancing stages of gestation. These changes appear to be related to an increase of the meconium content of the intestine and to its gradual displacement to the colon by a progressively more efficient peristalsis. A grading system of four stages was devised. In stage 1, the intestine has a uniform gray appearance. In stage 2, the colon can be identified by small echo-free areas close to the kidneys and the bladder. In stage 3, these areas become larger and delineate large segments of the colon. The small bowel can also be seen, represented by clusters of numerous transonic areas that continuously change their shape. The colon becomes redundant in stage 4 and the haustra appear. The echo-free areas of the small bowel are larger and show a very active peristalsis.

Colon↗

Fetal scalp temperature during labor and its relation to acid-base balance and condition of the newborn.

Fetal scalp temperature and fetal-maternal temperature gradient were studied during well-established labor in a group of 97 patients using a technique that ensured at the same time the adhesion and the thermal insulation of the probe. In 78 infants with a one-minute Apgar score of 7 or above, a positive gradient of 0.2C was maintained throughout labor between the warmer fetal scalp temperature (37.3C) and the maternal rectal temperature. Periodic drops of temperature related to the uterine contractions occurred in only 43% of the cases. In a group of ten infants with a one-minute Apgar score of 6 or below, the fetal-maternal gradient was significantly different from this schema. There was an inversion of the gradient, the fetal scalp temperature becoming cooler (36.9C) than the maternal rectal temperature. The gradient was -0.2C at the beginning of the study and -0.5C 20 minutes before delivery. Periodic drops of temperature with uterine contractions were constant. In dead fetuses, fetal scalp temperature was much below that of the mother and this difference increased steadily until delivery. A good relationship was found between fetal-maternal gradient and the pH of the umbilical artery blood sampled at birth. When the mean gradient was 0.2C +/- 1 SD, pH averaged 7.27; in the group below 1 SD, mean pH was 7.19 (P less than .01).

Acid-Base Equilibrium↗