Counting ovarian antral follicles by ultrasound: a practical guide

This Consensus Opinion summarizes the main aspects of several techniques for performing ovarian antral follicle count (AFC), proposes a standardized report and provides recommendations for future research. AFC should be performed using a transvaginal ultrasound (US) probe with frequency ≥ 7 MHz. For training, we suggest a minimum of 20-40 supervised examinations. The operator should be able to adjust the machine settings in order to achieve the best contrast between follicular fluid and ovarian stroma. AFC may be evaluated using real-time two-dimensional (2D) US, stored 2D-US cine-loops and stored three-dimensional (3D) US datasets. Real-time 2D-US has the advantage of permitting additional maneuvers to determine whether an anechoic structure is a follicle, but may require a longer scanning time, particularly when there is a large number of follicles, resulting in more discomfort to the patient. 2D-US cine-loops have the advantages of reduced scanning time and the possibility for other observers to perform the count. The 3D-US technique requires US machines with 3D capability and the operators to receive additional training for acquisition/analysis, but has the same advantages as cine-loop and also allows application of different imaging techniques, such as volume contrast imaging, inversion mode and semi-automated techniques such as sonography-based automated volume calculation. In this Consensus Opinion, we make certain recommendations based on the available evidence. However, there is no strong evidence that any one method is better than another; the operator should choose the best method for counting ovarian follicles based on availability of resources and on their own preference and skill. More studies evaluating how to improve the reliability of AFC should be encouraged. Copyright © 2017 ISUOG. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Understanding the Influence of Flow Velocity, Wall Motion Filter, Pulse Repetition Frequency, and Aliasing on Power Doppler Image Quantification

OBJECTIVES

Although power Doppler imaging has been used to quantify tissue and organ vascularity, many studies showed that limitations in defining adequate ultrasound machine settings and attenuation make such measurements complex to be achieved. However, most of these studies were conducted by using the output of proprietary software, such as Virtual Organ computer-aided analysis (GE Healthcare, Kretz, Zipf, Austria); therefore, many conclusions may not be generalizable because of unknown settings and parameters used by the software. To overcome this limitation, our goal was to evaluate the impact of the flow velocity, pulse repetition frequency (PRF), and wall motion filter (WMF) on power Doppler image quantification using beam-formed ultrasonic radiofrequency data.

METHODS

The setup consisted of a blood-mimicking fluid flowing through a phantom. Radiofrequency signals were collected using PRFs ranging from 0.6 to 10 kHz for 6 different flow velocities (5-40 cm/s). Wall motion filter cutoff frequencies were varied between 50 and 250 Hz.

RESULTS

The power Doppler magnitude was deeply influenced by the WMF cutoff frequency. The effect of using different WMF values varied with the PRF; therefore, the power Doppler signal intensity was dependent on the PRF. Finally, we verified that power Doppler quantification can be affected by the aliasing effect, especially when using a PRF lower than 1.3 kHz.

CONCLUSIONS

The WMF and PRF greatly influenced power Doppler quantification, mainly when flow velocities lower than 20 cm/s were used. Although the experiments were conducted in a nonclinical environment, the evaluated parameters are equivalent to those used in clinical practice, which makes them valuable for aiding the interpretation of related data in future research.

Impact of cesarean section in a private health service in Brazil: indications and neonatal morbidity and mortality rates

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the incidence of, indications of, and maternal and neonatal morbidity and mortality rates in cesarean sections in a private health service in Brazil.

DESIGN

Retrospective and observational study.

SETTING

Private health service in Vitória, Espírito Santo, Brazil.

METHODS

The patients were interviewed using a structured questionnaire to determine maternal age, gestational age at the time of delivery, number of previous deliveries, type of delivery performed, duration of labor, indications for cesarean delivery, point at which cesarean section was performed, physician responsible for delivery, and maternal morbidity, fetal morbidity, and fetal mortality rates. A descriptive analysis of the data was conducted. Students t-test was performed to compare quantitative variables, and Fishers exact test was performed for categorical variables.

RESULTS

A total of 584 patients were evaluated. Of these, 91.8% (536/584) had cesarean sections, while only 8.2% (48/584) had vaginal deliveries. There were no reports of forceps-assisted vaginal deliveries. In 87.49% of the deliveries, the number of gestational weeks was more than 37. In terms of indications for performing cesarean section, 48.5% were for maternal causes, 30.41% were for fetal causes, and 17.17% were elective. Maternal re-hospitalization due to puerperal complications was necessary in 10.42% of the vaginal deliveries and in 0.93% of the cesarean deliveries (p<0.001). Complications were observed in 18.75% of the vaginally delivered newborns and in 17.16% of those delivered by cesarean section. Of the newborns with complications at birth, 40.59% (41/101) had to be admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit. There were no cases of maternal death. There were seven cases of fetal/neonatal death.

CONCLUSION

We observed that the vast majority of deliveries in the private sector are performed by cesarean section, without labor, and by the patients obstetrician. We found no serious maternal complications or increased neonatal morbidity rates associated with cesarean section.

Effect of human papilloma virus infection on in-vitro fertilization outcome: systematic review and meta-analysis

OBJECTIVES

To identify, appraise and summarize the available data concerning the impact of human papilloma virus (HPV) infection on reproductive outcome following in-vitro fertilization (IVF).

METHODS

We searched for studies in PubMed, EMBASE, Scopus, Lilacs and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials from inception to March 2017. Any type of HPV infection assessed through polymerase chain reaction, subfertility factors and IVF indications and protocols were considered. Our primary outcomes were live birth/ongoing pregnancy and miscarriage, while secondary outcomes included clinical and laboratory parameters. We planned subgroup analyses according to the status of cervical cytology and presence of infection in the male partner. We assessed the relative risk (RR), using a random-effects model; heterogeneity was assessed using the I² statistic. Quality of the evidence was evaluated using the recommendations of the GRADE Working Group.

RESULTS

From the 14 studies eligible for inclusion, quantitative data from 10, evaluating 299 women with HPV infection and 2049 women without HPV infection, were included in the analysis. The pooled results showed no significant difference between HPV-infected and non-infected women in rates of live birth/ongoing pregnancy (RR, 1.16 (95% CI, 0.88-1.53); I²  = 0%; six studies, 983 women), clinical pregnancy (RR, 1.06 (95% CI, 0.74-1.54); I²  = 61%; eight studies, 1173 women) or miscarriage (RR, 1.58 (95% CI, 0.93-2.69); I²  = 8%; six studies, 290 clinical pregnancies). The overall quality of the evidence was very low, downgraded two levels because of serious limitations of the included studies (observational studies) and imprecision. In contrast, pooled results in the subgroup analysis based on the presence of infection in the male partner showed significant differences in rates of live birth/ongoing pregnancy (RR, 0.43 (95% CI, 0.23-0.82); I²  = 0%; three studies, 429 participants; P = 0.01) and miscarriage (RR, 3.70 (95% CI, 1.94-7.05); I²  = 0%; two studies, 90 participants; P < 0.0001).

CONCLUSIONS

The available evidence is still inadequate to enable us to draw firm conclusions regarding the effect of HPV infection in women on the most important reproductive outcomes following IVF; however, it suggests that the effect is not large for rates of live birth/ongoing pregnancy and clinical pregnancy. When infection is present in the male partner, it seems that there is a negative effect on live birth/ongoing pregnancy rate and an increase in miscarriage rate, a finding that should be interpreted with caution, owing to the very low quality of evidence supporting it. Copyright © 2017 ISUOG. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Fetal Heart Function by Tricuspid Annular Plane Systolic Excursion and Ventricular Shortening Fraction Using STIC M-Mode: Reference Ranges and Validation

Objective To determine the reference values for fetal tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion (f-TAPSE) and fetal ventricular shortening fraction (f-VSF) using spatiotemporal image correlation (STIC) with M-mode, and validate these curves in fetuses of pregnant women with preexisting diabetes mellitus (DM) and with intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR).

Study Design Crosssectional study assessed 300 fetal cardiac volumes of normal pregnancies between 20 and 33 + 6 weeks of gestation. For the construction of the reference curves, we used a polynomial regression model adjusted with the coefficient of determination (R2). For the calculation of reproducibility, the concordance correlation coefficient (CCC) was used.

Results f-TAPSE value correlated with gestational age (GA, R2 = 0.46), whereas fetal right ventricular shortening fraction (f-RVSF, R2 = 0.02) and fetal left ventricular shortening fraction (f-LVSF, R2 = 0.005) did not vary with GA. Fetuses of pregnant women with preexisting DM (30) had lower values of f-RVSF (p = 0.028), f-LVSF (p = 0.001), and f-TAPSE (p = 0.009) than normal fetuses. The f-TAPSE values were lower (p = 0.005) in IUGR group (17). The f-TASPSE values showed adequate reliability as well as good intra and interobserver concordance (CCC = 0.95 and 0.79, respectively).

Conclusion The reference ranges for f-TAPSE, f-RVSF, and f-LVSF using the STIC M-mode were established and had good reproducibility for f-TAPSE measurements.

Simple approach based on maternal characteristics and mean arterial pressure for the prediction of preeclampsia in the first trimester of pregnancy

AIM

To propose a simple model for predicting preeclampsia (PE) in the 1st trimester of pregnancy on the basis of maternal characteristics (MC) and mean arterial pressure (MAP).

METHODS

A prospective cohort was performed to predict PE between 11 and 13+6 weeks of gestation. The MC evaluated were maternal age, skin color, parity, previous PE, smoking, family history of PE, hypertension, diabetes mellitus and body mass index (BMI). Mean arterial blood pressure (MAP) was measured at the time of the 1st trimester ultrasound. The outcome measures were the incidences of total PE, preterm PE (delivery <37 weeks) and term PE (delivery ≥37 weeks). We performed logistic regression analysis to determine which factors made significant contributions for the prediction of the three outcomes.

RESULTS

We analyzed 733 pregnant women; 55 developed PE, 21 of those developed preterm PE and 34 term PE. For total PE, the best model was MC+MAP, which had an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC ROC) of 0.79 [95% confidence interval (CI)=0.76-0.82]. For preterm PE, the best model was MC+MAP, with an AUC ROC of 0.84 (95% CI=0.81-0.87). For term PE, the best model was MC, with an AUC ROC of 0.75 (0.72-0.79). The MC+MAP model demonstrated a detection rate of 67% cases of preterm PE, with a false-positive rate of 10%, positive predictive value of 17% and negative predictive value of 99%.

CONCLUSION

The MC+MAP model showed good accuracy in predicting preterm PE in the 1st trimester of gestation.

Expression of PGR, HBEGF, ITGAV, ITGB3 and SPP1 genes in eutopic endometrium of infertile women with endometriosis during the implantation window: a pilot study

OBJECTIVE

Alterations in endometrial receptivity may be involved in the etiopathogenesis of endometriosis-related infertility. The literature has suggested that patients with endometriosis present progestin resistance, which could affect embryo implantation. We question the presence of alterations in the expression of the progesterone receptor gene (PGR) and the genes related to endometrium-embryo interaction regulated by progesterone. This pilot study compared the expression of PGR, HBEGF, ITGAV, ITGB3, and SPP1 genes in eutopic endometrium during the implantation window (IW) in infertile women with endometriosis with that observed in the endometrium of fertile and infertile controls.

METHODS

In this prospective case-control study, endometrial biopsies were performed during the IW in patients aged between 18 and 45 years old, with regular cycles and without endocrine/systemic dysfunctions, divided into endometriosis (END), infertile control (IC) and fertile control (FC) groups. Total RNA extraction, cDNA synthesis, and gene expression analysis by Real-Time PCR were performed. We assessed the size of the difference that our series was powered to detect.

RESULTS

From the 687 patients who underwent diagnostic videolaparoscopy or tubal ligation at the University Hospital, 130 were eligible. Of these, 32 had endometrial samples collected, with 17 confirmed in the IW. Fifteen samples (5 END, 5 IC and 5 FC) were analyzed. There was no significant difference in the expression of any studied gene. Our sample size allowed us to identify or discard large differences (two standard deviations) among the groups.

CONCLUSION

Endometriosis doesn't cause large changes in the endometrial expression of PGR, HBEGF, ITGAV, ITGB3 and SPP1 during the IW.

Clomiphene citrate and letrozole to reduce follicle-stimulating hormone consumption during ovarian stimulation: systematic review and meta-analysis

OBJECTIVE

To assess the available evidence comparing effectiveness of ovarian stimulation (OS) using clomiphene citrate (CC) and/or letrozole (LTZ) to reduce follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) consumption compared with standard OS.

METHODS

We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials that compared reproductive outcomes following in-vitro fertilization. We searched 11 electronic databases and hand-searched the reference lists of included studies and related reviews. We stratified the results, separating studies according to the oral agent used (CC or LTZ) and the characteristics of the included women (expected poor ovarian response or other women). When combining the results of the included studies, we assessed the relative risk (RR) for live birth, clinical pregnancy, miscarriage and cycle cancelation, the Peto odds ratio (OR) for ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS) and mean difference (MD) for the number of oocytes retrieved and FSH consumption.

RESULTS

A total of 22 studies were included in the review. Considering women with expected poor ovarian response, the available evidence suggested that using CC to reduce FSH consumption during OS provided similar rates of live birth (RR, 0.9 (95% CI, 0.6-1.2), moderate-quality evidence) and clinical pregnancy (RR, 1.0 (95% CI, 0.8-1.4), moderate-quality evidence); the use of LTZ did not cause a relevant change in the number of oocytes retrieved (MD, -0.4 (95% CI, -0.9 to 0.1), high-quality evidence). Considering the studies evaluating other women, the available evidence suggested that using CC to reduce FSH consumption during OS reduced the number of oocytes retrieved (MD, -4.6 (95% CI, -6.1 to -3.0), high-quality evidence) and risk of OHSS (Peto OR, 0.2 (95% CI, 0.1-0.3), moderate-quality evidence), while results were similar for rates of live birth (RR, 0.9 (95% CI, 0.7-1.1), moderate-quality evidence) and clinical pregnancy (RR, 1.0 (95% CI, 0.8-1.1), high-quality evidence). The quality of the evidence was low or very low for other outcomes.

CONCLUSION

The use of CC to reduce FSH consumption in women with expected poor ovarian response has the advantage of providing similar reproductive outcomes with reduced costs. For the other women, the use of CC for reducing FSH consumption has the additional advantage of reducing OHSS, but also reduces the total number of oocytes retrieved. More studies are needed to evaluate the effect of LTZ for the same purpose. Future studies should focus on cumulative pregnancy per oocyte retrieval, patient dissatisfaction and agreement to repeat the cycle if not pregnant, which are important outcomes for clinical decisions. Copyright © 2017 ISUOG. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Procedure-Related Complications and Survival Following Fetoscopic Endotracheal Occlusion (FETO) for Severe Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis in the FETO Era

Introduction This study aims to assess the procedure-related complications and survival following fetoscopic endotracheal occlusion (FETO) for severe congenital diaphragmatic hernia. Materials and Methods A systematic review and meta-analysis of PubMed and Scopus database searching for FETO procedure in severe CDH (lung-to-head ratio [LHR] < 1.0 and/or observed/expected LHR < 0.26 and > 1/3 liver herniation) were performed. The relative risk was assessed and 95% confidence interval (CI) calculated. Procedure complications and survival were compared between FETO and randomized controlled trial (RCT) as well as observational case-control studies. Results A total of 4,807 records were retrieved based on the title and abstracts, and 18 studies were eligible for statistical analysis (1 RCT and 17 observational case-control studies). Relative risk (95% CI) comparing FETO and controls for premature rupture of membrane, preterm birth < 32 weeks, preterm birth < 37 weeks, survival at 30 days, and survival at 6 months were 1.7 (0.8-2.4), 7.3 (0.4-134), 1.8 (0.8-3.9), 5.8 (1.5-22.9), and 10.5 (1.5-74.7), respectively. Mean difference (95% CI) for gestational age at delivery comparing FETO and controls was 1.8 (-3.1 to -0.5). All these outcomes showed a low level of evidence. Conclusion FETO procedure increased the neonatal survival at 30 days and 6 months; however, it presented a higher rate of premature rupture of membrane, preterm birth < 37 weeks, and decreased the gestational age at delivery by 2 weeks. Nonetheless, the level of evidence is low for all these outcomes. We suggested a large international multicenter RCT to prove the real benefits of FETO.

Second trimester cervical length measurement for prediction spontaneous preterm birth in an unselected risk population

OBJECTIVE

To assess the predictive capacity of cervical length (CL) measurement underwent during the second trimester ultrasound for prediction preterm birth <32, 34, and 37 weeks of gestation in an unselected risk population.

METHODS

A retrospective cohort study was performed with 751 singleton pregnancies between 20 and 24+6 weeks of gestation. The CL measurement (mm) using the transvaginal route was obtained in a sagittal view and the calipers positioned to measure the linear distance between the triangular area of echodensity at the external os and the internal os. To compare the preterm (<37 weeks) and term births (≥37 weeks), we used unpaired t test. We assessed whether the CL measurement was dependent of gestational age by performing a linear regression and assessing the coefficient of determination (R2). We additionally assessed the accuracy of CL measurement to predict preterm birth by assessing the area under receiver operating characteristics curves with its respective confidence intervals (CIs) 95%.

RESULTS

Preterm birth <37 weeks was found in 13.6% (102/751) of pregnant women. Short cervix (≤25 mm) was found in 2.7% (20/751) of pregnancies. Only 30% (6/20) of pregnant women with short cervix have used progesterone to prevent preterm birth. There was a weak correlation between CL measurement and gestational age at delivery (R2=0.01, P=0.002). Receiver operating characteristics curve analysis of the ability of CL measurement to predict preterm birth <32, 34, and 37 weeks, showed an area under the curve of 0.693 (95% CI, 0.512 to 0.874), 0.472 (95% CI, 0.353 to 0.591), 0.490 (95% CI, 0.426 to 0.555), respectively.

CONCLUSION

There was a weak correlation between CL measurement and gestational age at delivery. In an unselected population, CL measurement screening at 20 to 24+6 weeks of gestation does not seem to be a good predictor of preterm birth.

Magnetic-activated cell sorting before density gradient centrifugation improves recovery of high-quality spermatozoa

Recent studies have evaluated the use of magnetic-activated cell sorting (MACS) to reduce apoptotic spermatozoa and improve sperm quality. However, the efficiency of using MACS alone, before or after sperm processing by density gradient centrifugation (DGC) has not yet been established. The purpose of this study is to determine the optimal protocol of MACS in assisted reproduction techniques (ART). Thus, we compared sperm quality obtained by DGC alone (DGC), DGC followed by MACS (DGC-MACS), MACS followed by DGC (MACS-DGC), and MACS alone (MACS), and found that the combined methods (MACS-DGC and DGC-MACS) led to retrieval of less spermatozoa with fragmented DNA compared to the single protocols. However, MACS-DGC protocol led to a significantly higher percentage of spermatozoa with progressive motility and normal morphology than DGC-MACS protocol. These findings suggest the potential clinical value of using MACS-DGC to improve sperm quality in seminal preparation for ART.

Blastocyst vs cleavage-stage embryo transfer: systematic review and meta-analysis of reproductive outcomes

OBJECTIVES

Blastocyst transfer in assisted reproduction techniques could be advantageous because the timing of exposure of the embryo to the uterine environment is more analogous to a natural cycle and permits embryo self-selection after activation of the embryonic genome on day 3. Conversely, the in-vitro environment is likely to be inferior to that in vivo, and in-vitro culture beyond embryonic genomic activation could potentially harm the embryo. Our objective was to identify, appraise and summarize the available evidence comparing the effectiveness of blastocyst vs cleavage-stage embryo transfer.

METHODS

This was a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) comparing the transfer of blastocysts (days 5-6) with the transfer of cleavage-stage embryos (days 2-3) in women undergoing in-vitro fertilization or intracytoplasmic sperm injection. The last electronic searches were run on 1 August 2016. Abstracts and studies with a mean difference between the two study groups of > 0.5 for the number of embryos transferred were excluded.

RESULTS

We screened 1187 records and assessed 33 potentially eligible studies. Twelve studies were included, comprising a total of 1200 women undergoing blastocyst transfer and 1218 undergoing cleavage-stage embryo transfer. We observed low-quality evidence of no significant difference of blastocyst transfer on live birth/ongoing pregnancy (relative risk (RR), 1.11 (95% CI, 0.92-1.35), 10 RCTs, 1940 women, I²  = 54%), clinical pregnancy (RR, 1.10 (95% CI, 0.93-1.31), 12 RCTs, 2418 women, I²  = 64%), cumulative pregnancy (RR, 0.89 (95% CI, 0.67-1.16), four RCTs, 524 women, I²  = 63%) and miscarriage (RR, 1.08 (95% CI, 0.74-1.56), 10 RCTs, 763 pregnancies, I²  = 0%). There was moderate-quality evidence of a decrease in the number of women with surplus embryos after the blastocyst-stage embryo transfer (RR, 0.78 (95% CI, 0.66-0.91)). Overall, the quality of the evidence was limited by the quality of the included studies and by unexplained inconsistency across studies.

CONCLUSIONS

Current evidence shows no superiority of blastocyst compared with cleavage-stage embryo transfer in clinical practice. As the quality of the evidence for the primary outcomes is low, additional well-designed RCTs are still needed before robust conclusions can be drawn. Copyright © 2016 ISUOG. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Virtual hysteroscopy: a new non invasive approach for the assessment of uterine cavity

Endometrial pathology is frequent in premenopausal women and the diagnostic hysteroscopy is considered the gold standard for assessing endometrial cavity and congenital uterine anomalies. However it is an invasive and uncomfortable procedure. Saline contrast hysterosalgingography and hysterosalpingo-contrast sonography allow detailed assessment of the uterine cavity. We propose a virtual hysteroscopy from three-dimensional saline and three-dimensional hysterosalpingo-contrast sonography scan data to generate a virtual reality as a new noninvasive procedure for assessing the uterine cavity in uterine congenital anomaly and endometrial pathology cases as well.

Fetal biometric parameters: Reference charts for a non-selected risk population from Uberaba, Brazil

OBJECTIVE

To establish reference charts for fetal biometric parameters in a non-selected risk population from Uberaba, Southeast of Brazil.

METHODS

A retrospective cross-sectional study was performed among 5656 non-selected risk singleton pregnant women between 14 and 41 weeks of gestation. The ultrasound exams were performed during routine visits of second and third trimesters. Biparietal diameter (BPD) was measured at the level of the thalami and cavum septi pellucidi. Head circumference (HC) was calculated by the following formula: HC = 1.62*(BPD + occipital frontal diameter, OFD). Abdominal circumference (AC) was measured using the following formula: AC = (anteroposterior diameter + transverse abdominal diameter) × 1.57. Femur diaphysis length (FDL) was obtained in the longest axis of femur without including the distal femoral epiphysis. The estimated fetal weight (EFW) was obtained by the Hadlock formula. Polynomial regressions were performed to obtain the best-fit model for each fetal biometric parameter as the function of gestational age (GA).

RESULTS

The mean, standard deviations (SD), minimum and maximum of BPD (cm), HC (cm), AC (cm), FDL (cm) and EFW (g) were 6.9 ± 1.9 (2.3 - 10.5), 24.51 ± 6.61 (9.1 - 36.4), 22.8 ± 7.3 (7.5 - 41.1), 4.9 ± 1.6 (1.2 - 8.1) and 1365 ± 1019 (103 - 4777), respectively. Second-degree polynomial regressions between the evaluated parameters and GA resulted in the following formulas: BPD = -4.044 + 0.540 × GA - 0.0049 × GA² (R² = 0.97); HC= -15.420 + 2.024 GA - 0.0199 × GA² (R² = 0.98); AC = -9.579 + 1.329 × GA - 0.0055 × GA² (R² = 0.97); FDL = -3.778 + 0.416 × GA - 0.0035 × GA² (R² = 0.98) and EFW = 916 - 123 × GA + 4.70 × GA² (R² = 0.96); respectively.

CONCLUSION

Reference charts for the fetal biometric parameters in a non-selected risk population from Uberaba, Southeast of Brazil, were established.

Reference Ranges of Fetal Cardiac Biometric Parameters Using Three-Dimensional Ultrasound with Spatiotemporal Image Correlation M Mode and Their Applicability in Congenital Heart Diseases

To determine reference values for fetal heart biometric parameters using the spatiotemporal image correlation (STIC) M mode and their applicability in congenital heart diseases (CHDs). A cross-sectional prospective study was conducted with 300 singleton pregnancies between 20 and 33 + 6 weeks of gestation. Right ventricular wall thickness (RVWT), interventricular septum thickness (IVST), and left ventricular wall thickness (LVWT) were measured off-line using the STIC-M mode with the cursor perpendicular to the interventricular septum. Polynomial regressions adjusted with the coefficient of determination (R ²) were performed. The curves were applied to 14 fetuses with structural CHD. For the reproducibility calculations, the concordance correlation coefficient (CCC) was used. The mean RVWT, IVST, and LVWT were 0.34 ± 0.09 cm, 0.28 ± 0.09 cm, and 0.30 ± 0.07 cm, respectively. There was correlation between RVWT, IVST, and LVWT and gestational age (GA): RVWT = -0.002 + 0.013 × GA (R ² = 0.33), IVST = -0.011 + 0.011 × GA (R ² = 0.25), and LVWT = 0.056 + 0.009 × GA (R ² = 0.26). RVWT, IVST, and LVWT were altered (<5th or >95th percentile) in 5/14, 5/14, and 7/14 of the fetuses with CHD, respectively. For RVWT, IVST, and LVWT, intra-observer (CCC = 0.86, 0.85, and 0.87, respectively) and inter-observer (CCC = 0.86, 0.86, and 0.86, respectively) reproducibility were good/moderate. The reference ranges determined for fetal heart biometric parameters using STIC-M had good intra- and inter-observer reproducibility and were applicable to fetuses with CHD.

Renal Interlobar Vein Impedance Index as a First-Trimester Marker Does Not Predict Hypertensive Disorders of Pregnancy

OBJECTIVES

The purpose of this study was to examine whether the maternal renal interlobar vein impedance index as assessed by first-trimester sonography is able to predict the later development of hypertensive disorders of pregnancy.

METHODS

Venous Doppler parameters of both maternal kidneys were studied in 214 pregnant women at gestational ages of 11 weeks to 13 weeks 6 days. Patients were classified according to outcomes related to hypertensive disorders. Detection rates and areas under receiver operating characteristic curves were determined for the maternal renal interlobar vein impedance index as a first-trimester predictor of preeclampsia and gestational hypertension.

RESULTS

Among the 214 patients, 22 (10.3%) developed preeclampsia; 10 (4.7%) developed gestational hypertension; and 182 were unaffected by hypertensive disorders (controls; 85.0%). In the overall study population, there was no difference in the impedance index between the right (0.44; 95% confidence interval, 0.35-0.50) and left (0.43; 95% confidence interval, 0.35-0.53) sides (P = .86). The average impedance index did not differ among women destined to develop preeclampsia (0.46; 95% confidence interval, 0.38-0.57), gestational hypertension (0.39; 95% confidence interval, 0.33-0.46), or pregnancies uncomplicated by hypertensive disease (0.42; 95% confidence interval, 0.37-0.50; P = .15). Low detection rates and the area under the curve analysis demonstrated that the impedance index was not predictive of hypertensive disorders of pregnancy.

CONCLUSIONS

The maternal renal interlobar vein impedance index should not be considered a first-trimester marker of hypertensive disorders of pregnancy.

Influence of Pulse Repetition Frequency on 3-D Power Doppler Quantification

Three-dimensional power Doppler quantification has limited application because of its high dependency on attenuation. The purpose of the study described here was to assess if different degrees of attenuation, depending on pulse repetition frequency (PRF) adjustment, alter 3-D power Doppler quantification in a region of 100% moving blood when using vascularization index, flow index and vascularization flow index (VFI). A cubic-shaped gelatin phantom with a 1.8-mm-internal-diameter silicon tube was used. The tube, placed at 45° to the phantom's surface, was filled with blood-mimicking fluid with as constant maximum velocity of 30 cm/s. Two different attenuation blocks (low and high attenuation) were alternatively placed between the phantom and the transvaginal transducer. One single observer acquired 10 data sets for each PRF level from 0.3 to 7.5 kHz, using the high- and low-attenuation blocks, for a total of 200 3-D power Doppler data sets. We assessed VFI from 1.5-mm-diameter spherical samples, virtually placed inside the tube, always at the same position. No difference was noted between high- and low-attenuation VFI values when using a PRF of 0.3 kHz. As PRF increased, it was observed that VFI quantification progressively differed between low and high attenuation. Also, a slope on VFI values for both high- and low-attenuation models could be observed when increasing PRF, particularly above 4.0 kHz. We concluded that PRF adjustment is very relevant when using VFI to quantify 3-D power Doppler signal.

Strategies for improving outcome of assisted reproduction in women with polycystic ovary syndrome: systematic review and meta-analysis

OBJECTIVES

To identify, appraise and summarize the current evidence regarding the efficacy of strategies aimed at improving assisted reproductive techniques in women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS).

METHODS

A comprehensive literature search of the standard medical databases was performed. The last electronic search was run in July 2015. The primary outcome measures were live birth/ongoing pregnancy and ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS). The secondary outcome measures were clinical pregnancy and miscarriage.

RESULTS

We screened 1021 records and completely assessed 173, finally including 66 studies in the quantitative analysis. Many different interventions were assessed, however the overall quality of the studies was low. We observed moderate-quality evidence that there is no clinically relevant difference in live birth/ongoing pregnancy rates (relative risk (RR), 0.95 (95% CI, 0.84-1.08)), or clinical pregnancy (RR, 1.02 (95% CI, 0.91-1.15)) when comparing antagonist and agonist protocols for ovarian stimulation. Additionally, we found low-quality evidence that metformin improves live birth/ongoing pregnancy (RR, 1.28 (95% CI, 1.01-1.63)) and clinical pregnancy rates (RR, 1.26 (95% CI, 1.04-1.53)) when compared with placebo or no intervention. We further found low-quality evidence that there is no clinically relevant difference in live birth/ongoing pregnancy rates (RR, 1.03 (95% CI, 0.80-1.34)) and clinical pregnancy rates (RR, 0.99 (95% CI, 0.81-1.22)) when comparing human menopausal gonadotropin for inducing ovulation and artificial preparation with estradiol valerate for endometrial preparation for frozen embryo transfer (FET). Low-quality evidence suggests that mannitol compared with no intervention (RR, 0.54 (95% CI, 0.39-0.77)) and antagonist protocols compared with agonist protocols (RR, 0.63 (95% CI, 0.49-0.80)) reduce rates of OHSS.

CONCLUSION

There is low- to moderate-quality evidence suggesting that antagonist protocols are preferable to agonist ones, because they reduce the incidence of OHSS without interfering with clinical pregnancy and live birth for women with PCOS. Additionally there is low-quality evidence pointing to a benefit of metformin supplementation on clinical pregnancy and live birth; and that ovulation induction and administration of estradiol seem to be equally effective for endometrial preparation before FET for women with PCOS. For all other interventions, the evidence is of very low quality, not allowing any meaningful conclusions to be drawn. Estrategias para mejorar el resultado de la reproducción asistida en mujeres con síndrome de ovario poliquístico: revisión sistemática y metaanálisis RESUMEN OBJETIVOS: Identificar, evaluar y resumir la evidencia actual sobre la eficacia de las estrategias para mejorar las técnicas de reproducción asistida en mujeres con síndrome de ovario poliquístico (SOP). MÉTODOS: Se realizó una búsqueda exhaustiva de literatura en las bases de datos médicas estándar. La última búsqueda electrónica se realizó en julio de 2015. Las medidas de resultado primarias fueron los nacimientos vivos/embarazos en curso y el síndrome de hiperestimulación ovárica (SHO). Las medidas de resultado secundarias fueron el embarazo confirmado ecográficamente y el aborto.

RESULTADOS

Se cribaron 1021 registros, de los que se evaluaron por completo 173, para finalmente incluir 66 estudios en el análisis cuantitativo. Aunque se evaluaron muchas intervenciones diferentes, en general la calidad de los estudios fue baja. Se observó evidencia de calidad moderada de que no hay diferencias relevantes clínicamente en las tasas de nacimientos vivos/embarazos en curso (riesgo relativo (RR): 0,95 (IC 95%, 0,84-1,08)), o de embarazos confirmados ecográficamente (RR: 1,02 (IC 95%, 0,91-1,15)), cuando se comparan los protocolos de antagonistas y agonistas para la estimulación ovárica. Además, se encontró evidencia de baja calidad en que la metformina mejora las tasas de nacimientos vivos/embarazos en curso (RR: 1,28 (IC 95%, 1,01-1,63)) y de embarazos confirmados ecográficamente (RR: 1,26 (IC 95%, 1,04-1,53)) en comparación con un placebo o la no intervención. Se encontró también evidencia de baja calidad en que no hay diferencias relevantes clínicamente en las tasas de nacimientos vivos/embarazos en curso (RR: 1,03 (IC 95%, 0,80-1,34)) y las tasas de embarazos confirmados ecográficamente (RR: 0,99 (IC 95%, 0.81-1,22)) al comparar la gonadotropina menopáusica humana para la inducción de la ovulación y la preparación artificial con el valerato de estradiol para preparar el endometrio para la transferencia de embriones congelados (TEC). La baja calidad de la evidencia sugiere que el manitol, en comparación con la no intervención (RR: 0,54 (IC 95%, 0,39-0,77)), y los protocolos de antagonistas, en comparación con los protocolos de agonistas (RR: 0,63 (IC 95%, 0,49-0,80)), reducen las tasas de SHO. CONCLUSIÓN: Hay evidencia de calidad baja a moderada que sugiere que los protocolos de antagonistas son preferibles a los de agonistas, ya que reducen la tasa de SHO sin interferir con el embarazo confirmado ecográficamente y los nacimientos vivos en las mujeres con SOP. Además, existe evidencia de baja calidad que indica un beneficio del uso de metformina como aporte suplementario en embarazos confirmados ecográficamente y en nacimientos vivos; y que la inducción de la ovulación y la administración de estradiol parecen ser igualmente eficaces para la preparación del endometrio antes de la TEC en mujeres con SOP. Para el resto de procedimientos, la evidencia es de muy baja calidad, y por ello no permite extraer conclusiones importantes.