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Y Van Belle

Publications and source records attributed to Y Van Belle.

14 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2000

The immunocytochemical versus cytosol measurement of the oestrogen receptor in invasive breast cancer tissue.

To compare two methods of measurement of oestrogen receptor (ER)-expression in invasive breast cancer tissue. Sections from 299 breast cancer cases were stained for the ER by immunocytochemical assay (ICA), using mouse monoclonal antibody (MAb) NCL-ER-6SF11, and by the dextran-coated charcoal assay (DCC). Concordant results were observed in 230 of the 299 cases (77%), 69 patients had discordant results (kappa=0.537). We found a moderate concordance between ICA and DCC for ER measurement in breast cancer tissue. If we change the golden standard from DCC to ICA, 23% of patients would receive a different therapeutic approach.

Biomarkers, Tumor↗
PubMed1999

Variability study of a non-invasive approach to the absolute quantification of cerebral blood flow with 99Tcm-ECD using aortic activity as the arterial input estimate.

The absolute measurement of regional cerebral blood flow can be made non-invasively if dynamic scanning is performed immediately following the intravenous injection of 99Tcm-labelled HMPAO or ECD. By application of an elementary one-step kinetic model in which the arterial input curve is estimated from a region of interest over the anterior aortic arch projection, a brain perfusion index (BPI) can be calculated which is correlated to the total hemispheric blood flow. The aim of this study was to assess the variability of the BPI approach as applied to the calculation of cerebral blood flow. For 46 patients (30 men, 16 women) aged 23.7-74.4 years (mean 60.3), we calculated hemispheric BPI factors. For two subgroups of 10 patients chosen at random, several data-processing parameters, including the number of noise suppression steps and the linear slope interval for the Patlak fit, were assessed. To determine the influence of region-of-interest selection and to estimate intra- and inter-observer differences, three independent observers conducted a repeat analysis of all 46 patients. From five patients who underwent the same injection procedure twice, an estimate of intra-subject reproducibility was calculated. Temporal noise reduction of the input data significantly decreased the intra-observer variability. Visual estimation of the linear interval in the Patlak curve is much less reproducible than automatic interval selection; very high interval borders in particular significantly decrease the calculated BPI. The intra-observer coefficients of variation for the BPI were 5.3, 5.6 and 7.9% respectively, corresponding to 2.8, 3.0 and 4.1% when converted to hemispheric CBF. The slight inter-observer differences found could be attributed to differing processing parameters. For the five patients in whom the procedure was repeated, the hemispheric BPI reproducibility index was on average 2.6%. Determination of absolute hemispheric blood flow can be performed in a precise manner by means of a dynamic scan during the first 2 min after tracer injection after careful optimization of the processing parameters.

Adult↗
PubMed1995

Tubal ostium membranes and their relation to infertility.

OBJECTIVE: To define the clinical significance of tubal ostium membranes. DESIGN: Retrospective multivariate stepwise logistic regression analysis. SETTING: Algemene Kliniek Sint--Jan, Brussels, Belgium. PATIENTS: Three thousand forty-six hysteroscopies on 2979 patients, including 172 with infertility, over a 9-year period. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Presence of tubal ostium membranes, age, infertility, endometrial thickness, and hormonal environment. RESULTS: Tubal ostial membranes were present in 74 (2.5%) patients: they were unilateral in 30 (42.1%) and bilateral in 44 (57.9%). Their presence was independent from hormonal state and from endometrial thickness. The incidence of ostial membranes was significantly higher (9.9%) in patients referred for infertility for unilateral (3.5%) as well as for bilateral presence (6.4%). Only the bilateral form was age dependent. CONCLUSIONS: Tubal ostium membranes may be one of the unknown limiting factors affecting female fertility and thus reducing the monthly fecundity rate. The present data suggest that bilateral and unilateral tubal ostium membranes may have a different clinical significance. The unilateral form is unrelated to age, hormonal state, or endometrial thickness and can be congenital. This form is most clearly related to infertility. The bilateral form is less related to infertility, is found in women of older age, and can be acquired. Further prospective analysis is needed to clarify the pathogenesis and pathophysiology of tubal ostium membranes. Tubal ostium membranes should routinely be looked for when performing a hysteroscopic examination in infertile women.

Endometrium↗
PubMed1993

Hysteroscopic findings in patients with a cervical polyp.

OBJECTIVE: Our objective was to determine the presence of intrauterine lesions in patients with a cervical polyp. STUDY DESIGN: We performed a retrospective analysis to determine the influence of hormonal treatment and age on 165 patients with a cervical polyp and bleeding on admission. All 165 patients underwent a diagnostic hysteroscopy to rule out intrauterine lesions, including polyps, fibroids, hyperplasia, and adenocarcinoma. RESULTS: Endometrial polyps were found in up to 26.7% of patients who had a cervical polyp. In patients undergoing a combined pill treatment this incidence was much lower (8.3%). Menopausal patients had a 56.8% incidence of cervix-related endometrial polyps, and hormone replacement therapy did not significantly increase (45.7% vs 28.6%) the incidence of coexisting polyps. All cervical polyps present during tamoxifen treatment were associated with endometrial polyps. Abnormal vaginal bleeding was of no clinical significance in excluding concomitant endometrial polyps. CONCLUSIONS: All menopausal patients with a cervical polyp could benefit from a diagnostic hysteroscopy. Premenopausal patients receiving a combined pill treatment are the least likely to have coexistent endometrial polyps.

Adult↗
PubMed1991

Endometrial lesions in patients undergoing tamoxifen therapy.

Forty-six nonhysterectomized women treated with tamoxifen during 6-36 months as adjuvant therapy for breast cancer underwent a hysteroscopy to assess the endometrial effects of this drug. Whereas the endometrium was normal among 23 patients, 13 presented with endometrial polyps, 8 with hyperplasia and 2 with adenocarcinoma. The rate of endometrial lesions was directly related to the cumulative dose of tamoxifen but it was not statistically different among patients receiving progestational therapy compared to patients who did not receive this therapy.

Adenocarcinoma↗
PubMed1986

[Uterine rupture. Reflections apropos of a spontaneous case in mid-pregnancy].

A case of spontaneous uterine rupture is reported occurring in the midtrimester of pregnancy in a patient who had benign signs of tuberous sclerosis. There was no placenta increta but the myometrial thickness, at the site of placental insertion, was only 160 microns. This finding is discussed. On this occasion, the authors review the aetiology and signs of uterine rupture, its treatment and prevention, especially before the third trimester of pregnancy.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Hysteroscopic follow-up during tamoxifen treatment.

In order to study the action of Tamoxifen upon the uterus, 16 breast cancer patients were prospectively evaluated by means of an hysteroscopy before Tamoxifen therapy and again after 6 to 36 months of treatment. The results show the occurrence of an endometrial polyp in four cases and of an adenocarcinoma in one case. Moreover, the previously atrophic mucosa became mildly proliferative in seven of the patients who were evaluated.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Office mini-hysteroscopy.

The technique of diagnostic hysteroscopy has not yet been accepted generally as an ambulatory, well-tolerated office procedure. Especially in the infertile patient the standard hysteroscopic procedure is poorly tolerated in an office environment. Our prospective registration of 530 diagnostic office mini-hysteroscopies in infertile patients demonstrates that using an atraumatic insertion technique, watery distention medium and the new generation of mini-hysteroscopic endoscopes, hysteroscopy can be performed in an office set-up without any form of anaesthesia and with a high patient compliance. The significant number of abnormal findings (28.5%), the absence of complications and the low failure rate (2.3%) indicate that diagnostic office mini-hysteroscopy should be a first-line diagnostic procedure. Those results are compared with the registration of 4204 consecutive conventional diagnostic hysteroscopies in a routine gynaecological population performed between 1982 and 1989. We conclude that the mini-hysteroscopic system offers a simple, safe and efficient diagnostic method in the office for the investigation of abnormal uterine bleeding, to evaluate the cervix and uterine cavity in the infertile patient, for screening of endometrial changes in patients under hormone replacement therapy or anti-oestrogens as (adjuvant) treatment and, lastly, it may be very helpful for the interpretation of uncertain findings in other diagnostic techniques such as ultrasound, magnetic resonance imaging, blind biopsy or hysterosalpingography.

Ambulatory Surgical Procedures↗