INTRODUCTION: Inflammatory bowel disease often affects women during their reproductive years, causing management concerns for obstetricians caring for these patients during pregnancy. TREATMENT: Apart from methotrexate, most drugs used regularly to treat ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease can safely be used by pregnant women. No causal relationship has been established between exposure to sulfasalazine or other 5-aminosalicylic acid drugs and the development of congenital malformations and these drugs may be used with relative safety during pregnancy and lactation. Current evidence indicates that maternal use of azathioprine and mercaptopurine is not associated with an increased risk of congenital malformations, though impaired foetal immunity, intrauterine growth retardation and prematurity are occasionally observed. Cyclosporin is not teratogenic, but may be associated with growth retardation and prematurity. CONCLUSIONS: Pregnancy should be avoided in women treated with methotrexate because of its known abortifacient effects and risk of causing typical malformations. There is no actual evidence of adverse effect in pregnant women receiving Infliximab but the amount of clinical information is small. The treatment with metronidazole or ciprofloxacin for short durations appear to be safe, but there is no data about the effects of increased length of treatment as required in Crohn's disease remains unknown. Control of disease activity before conception and during pregnancy is critical to optimise both maternal and foetal health. A multidisciplined approach involving both obstetrician and gastroenterologist and education about pregnancy are essential components of the treatment of any young women with IBD.

Abnormalities, Drug-Induced↗

PubMed2003

Maternal arrhythmias during pregnancy.

INTRODUCTION: An increased incidence of maternal cardiac arrhythmias is observed during pregnancy and they can range from clinically irrelevant isolated premature beats to debilitating supraventricular and ventricular tachycardias. DISCUSSION: Management of arrhythmias during pregnancy is similar to that in non-pregnant patients. However, the presence of the foetus and the risk of teratogenicity, the haemodynamic changes, the effect of therapy on labour, delivery and lactation must be evaluated. Antiarrhythmic drug selection depends on the specific arrhythmia being treated and the cardiac condition of the mother. Although no drug is completely safe, most are well tolerated and can be given with relatively low risk. Some antiarrhythmic agents, such as propranolol, metoprolol, digoxin and quinidine, have been extensively tested during pregnancy and have proved to be safe; they should therefore, whenever possible, be used as a first-line. For supraventricular tachycardia, intravenous adenosine may be used to terminate the arrhythmia if vagal manoeuvres fail. If possible, drug therapy should be avoided during the first trimester of pregnancy. When drug treatment fails or is not indicated because of the haemodynamic instability of the patient, direct current cardioversion can be used. CONCLUSION: Most patients with arrhythmias during pregnancy can be treated with an excellent result.

Anti-Arrhythmia Agents↗

PubMed2003

Prospective study of mother-to-infant transmission of hepatitis C virus: a 10-year survey (1990-2000).

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to determine the rate of vertical transmission of hepatitis C virus (HCV). We also aimed to analyze the time of clearance of maternal antibodies in the serum of non-infected babies. METHODS: Between March 1990 and March 2000, 170 consecutive anti-HCV-positive women and their 188 babies entered this prospective study. All women were analyzed for HCV-RNA using polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The babies were followed-up until HCV-antibody clearance or until the diagnosis of HCV infection. RESULTS: The vertical transmission rate was 2.7% overall, and it was higher in HIV co-infected women (5.4%, 2/37) than in HIV-negative women (2.0%, 3/151). All infected infants were born to mothers who had HCV viremia at delivery. The transmission rate was influenced by maternal levels of viremia. 37.2% of uninfected children became HCV-antibody negative by 6 months and 88.0% by 12 months. Babies born from HCV-RNA-positive mothers lost anti-HCV antibodies later (9.21 +/- 3.72 months) than babies born from HCV-RNA-negative mothers (7.47 +/- 3.46 months) ( p < 0.05, Kolmogorov-Smirnov test). CONCLUSIONS: The risk of HCV vertical transmission is very low in HCV-positive/HIV-negative women and it is restricted to infants born to HCV viremic mothers. High maternal viral load is predictive of the vertical transmission. The clearance time of antibodies in non-infected babies is significantly longer if the mother is viremic.

Adult↗

PubMed2003

Prognostic value of plasma and serum VEGF levels in patients with resectable hepatocellular carcinoma.

Explore the source record for details and available documents.

Carcinoma, Hepatocellular↗

PubMed2002

Post-operative complications after caesarean section in HIV-infected women.

This retrospective study evaluated complications associated with caesarean section in HIV-infected women. For each HIV-positive patient ( n=45) a control group of ten seronegative women ( n=450) was matched for age, number of foetuses, gestational age, indication for caesarean section, status of the membranes and kind of anaesthesia. All women delivered in the same hospital using a uniform protocol. We evaluated the duration of stay in hospital after operation, the need for antibiotics after caesarean section, the incidence of minor postoperative complications (mild anaemia, mild temperature or fever 24 h after surgery, wound haematoma or infection, urinary tract infection, endometritis) and major postoperative complications (severe anaemia, pneumonia, pleural effusion, peritonitis, sepsis, disseminated intravascular coagulation, thromboembolism). Most HIV-positive women (64.5%) had a complicated recovery after surgery. A higher incidence of major and minor postoperative complications were observed in the HIV-positive group than in the control group. There was a statistically significant greater incidence of mild anaemia, mild temperature or fever, urinary tract infection and pneumonia in the HIV-positive group. HIV-positive women with less than 500x10(6) CD4(+) lymphocytest/l had higher post-caesarean section morbidity than HIV-positive women with more than 500x10(6) CD4(+) lymphocytest/l. The median duration of hospital stay was significantly higher in the HIV-positive group (median 7 days) than in the HIV-negative group (median 4 days). The rate of HIV vertical transmission was 8.8%. Higher post-caesarean section morbidity was found in HIV-positive women than in controls. Unfortunately, the HIV-positive women (with low CD4 lymphocytes counts), whose infants theoretically will benefit most from caesarean delivery, are also the women who are most likely to experience post-operative complications.

Anemia↗

PubMed2002

[Fetal risks related to the administration of anti-arrhythmia drugs during pregnancy].

The major concern about the administration of antiarrhythmic drugs during pregnancy is related to their effect on fetal well-being. Even if teratogenic risks are higher during organogenesis in the first 8 weeks of pregnancy, after this period undesirable effects may include depression of uterine blood flow, interference with fetal growth and development, and interference with labor and delivery. Most drugs are secreted in the mother's milk, a fact that raises concern about the nursing infants. In this report we review the fetal risks related to the management of maternal arrhythmias during pregnancy showing that most patients can be treated with an excellent result for their babies.

Abnormalities, Drug-Induced↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Bowel endometriosis: CT-enteroclysis.

Although several radiological techniques have been used for the diagnosis of bowel endometriosis, no gold standard is currently established. We used multislice computerized tomography (CT) combined with the distention of the colon by rectal enteroclysis (MSCTe) for the diagnosis of bowel endometriosis. Following bowel preparation, pharmacological hypotonicity, retrograde colonic distention by water enteroclysis, and intravenous injection of iodinated contrast medium, a single volumetric acquisition of the abdomen is performed. MSCTe findings suggestive of bowel endometriosis are the presence of solid nodules with positive enhancement, contiguous or penetrating the colonic wall. When endometriotic lesions are detected, the degree of infiltration of the intestinal wall can be estimated; however, the depth infiltrated by nodules reaching the submucosa may be underestimated. MSCTe is well tolerated by the patients. The strength of MSCT consists in the high spatial resolution; volumetric data acquired by using thin slices provide isotropic voxels and multiplanar reconstructions have a quality comparable with that of the original axial scans. The potential of MSCTe for the diagnosis of bowel endometriosis relies on the fact that the serosal, muscular, and mucosal layers of the bowel wall can be evaluated.

Contrast Media↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Randomized study of laparoscopic versus minilaparotomic myomectomy for uterine myomas.

STUDY OBJECTIVE: To compare the postoperative recovery of patients undergoing laparoscopic and minilaparotomic myomectomy. DESIGN: Randomized study (Canadian Task Force classification I). SETTING: University hospital. PATIENTS: One hundred forty-eight women requiring surgical myomectomy. INTERVENTIONS: Myomectomy by minilaparotomy or laparoscopy. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Operation time was significantly lower in the minilaparotomy group (p < .001). When compared with minilaparotomy, laparoscopy was associated with a lower decline of hemoglobin concentration (p <.001), a reduced length of postoperative ileus (p < .001), and a shorter time to discharge (p <.001). Pain intensity at 6 hours after surgery was significantly lower in the laparoscopy group (p <.001); also, patients who underwent laparoscopy requested analgesics less frequently in the first 48 hours after the operation (p < .001). Patients included in the laparoscopy group were fully recuperated on postoperative day 15 more frequently than those included in the minilaparotomy group (p = .012). No complications were observed in the minilaparotomy group. There were two complications in the laparoscopy group (one laparoconversion caused by difficulties of hemostasis and one acute diffuse peritonitis caused by ileal perforation). Laparoscopic and minilaparotomic myomectomy cost, respectively, 2250 euros and 1975 euros. CONCLUSION: When compared with minilaparotomic myomectomy, laparoscopic myomectomy may offer the benefits of lower postoperative analgesic use and faster postoperative recovery.

Aged↗