Uterovesical fistula and its treatment in Sub-Saharan Africa

AIM

 Aim of the study to summarize the current information on diagnostic and treatment options for uterovesical fistula as a consequence of iatrogenic complication. Methods: Literature review of available information on surgical treatment options for uterovesical fistula resulting from previous caesarean section and comparison with our own experience in the developing world. Conclusion: Uterovesical fistula is an abnormal communication between the bladder and uterus. The cause of this pathology in most cases is an iatrogenic complication, most commonly arising after a caesarean section. The incidence of this pathology varies significantly geographically. In developed countries, these fistulas are rather rare. On the other hand, in developing countries, uterovesical fistulas are more common with a significant impact on the subsequent life of the patient due to generally inaccessible health care.

Risk Factors for the Anal and Oral Human Papillomavirus (HPV) Infections among Women with Severe Cervical Lesions: A Prospective Case-Control Study

The carcinogenicity of HPV infection in the anogenital and oropharyngeal regions is broadly accepted. The aim of the study was to define risk factors for anal and oral HPV infections in high-risk patients with biopsy-proven severe cervical lesions (CIN2+). Altogether immunocompetent 473 females with CIN2+ were categorized into the study group and another 245 women into the control group. The strongest risk factor for anal HPV infection was the presence of cervical HPV infection (p < 0.001). Furthermore, ten or more lifetime sexual partners (p = 0.013), a sexual non-coital contact with the anal area (p < 0.001), and actively practicing anal-penetrative intercourse (p < 0.001) were significantly associated with anal HPV. A history of genital warts in the woman (p = 0.010) and the presence of genital warts in the male partner (p = 0.029) were found statistically significant for the risk of oral HPV infection. Our data suggest that the presence of HPV infection, especially high-risk genotypes, in one anatomical site poses the greatest risk for HPV infection in another anatomical site. The cervix is the main reservoir of infection, but the risk factors for anal and oral HPV infections are dissimilar according to different anatomical distances and more complex routes of transmission.

Experiences in the reconstruction of untreated severe obstetrical injuries including anal sphincter injuries

OBJECTIVE

Summarize information on reconstruction possibilities of extensive obstetrical injuries including anal sphincter injuries.

METHODS

Review of available information on the possibilities of reconstruction of severe obstetrical injuries including anal sphincter and comparison with own results in the developing countries.

CONCLUSION

Extensive obstetrical injuries of the perineum are major problem that require adequate and early treatment. In the developing countries, perineum dehiscence and the subsequent development of anal incontinence occur much more often. Even after several years, however, there is hope for an improvement in the condition if an adequate suture is performed.

Implementation of the ERAS protocol in gynecology and oncogynecology - evaluation of a pilot study

OBJECTIVE

To describe the implementation process and evaluate the success of compliance with the recommended ERAS protocol in the Czech healthcare system.

METHODS

The study included 163 patients from March to September 2022, a total of 7 months. Patients were divided into three groups according to the type of surgery. Clinical protocol: Oncogynecology, hysterectomy and laparoscopy. The implementation was realized in three phases (preparation, implementation of the protocol itself and evaluation).

RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS

The cumulative adherence rate was 90% or more in all three groups. Based on the pilot results at our department, we evaluated the ERAS concept as a well-implemented tool for gynaecological departments in the Czech healthcare system.

Uterine artery pseudoaneurysm in pregnant women with previous pelvic endometriosis

Uterine artery pseudoaneurysm (UAP) is a rare complication during pregnancy that can cause serious consequences in both the pregnant woman and the fetus. Herein, we have described the cases of two pregnant women with UAP. Both patients had a history of laparoscopy for management of endometrioid ovarian cysts. Neither patient was operated in the retroperitoneum or around the uterine vessels. UAP was diagnosed by Doppler ultrasonography and confirmed by magnetic resonance imaging. Due to exacerbation of hypogastric pain, the first patient was treated shortly after admission to the hospital at the 23rd week of gestation by endovascular intervention with occlusion of the UAP using microcoils. The patient's complaints resolved immediately, and a healthy baby was delivered via planned Cesarean section at the 38th gestational week. In the second case with twin pregnancy, angiography was performed at the 27th gestational week; however, the feeding vessel of the UAP could not be identified. The patient was followed up at weekly intervals, and due to increasing left hypogastric pain, cesarean section was performed at the 33rd gestational week. During surgery, the left internal iliac artery was ligated and the entire pseudoaneurysm was successfully removed. Both women gave birth to healthy neonates; however, the therapeutic approaches were distinct in both cases. As the previous laparoscopic surgeries in both patients were performed only in the adnexal area, and not around the uterine arteries in the parametria, the endometrial decidual reaction could have caused the UAPs in the described cases.

Syndrome Mayer-Rokitansky-Küster-Hauser - uterine and vaginal agenesis: current knowledge and therapeutic options

OBJECTIVE

Evaluation of existing knowledge of etiopathogenesis, clinical manifestations and treatment options to increase quality of life in women with Mayer-Rokitansky-Küster-Hauser syndrome (MRKH).

DESIGN

Review article.

SETTING

Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Second Faculty of Medicine, Charles University and Motol University Hospital, Prague.

METHODS

Literature search using the Web of Science, Google Scholar and Medline databases with keywords (absolute uterine infertility factor, AUFI, Mayer-Rokitansky-Küster-Hauser syndrome, MRKH, uterine transplantation) and analysis of articles published in impact and reviewed journals.

RESULTS

MRKH syndrome is defined as congenital agenesis of the upper two-thirds of vagina and uterus in women with normal secondary sexual characteristics and female karyotype (46, XX). The incidence of the syndrome is 1 : 4500 births of female sex children. It is the second most common cause of primary amenorrhea. Recent research has focused on elucidating the genetic origin of the disease, focusing on the research of candidate genes that could be participating in the genesis of Müllerian ducts and their derivatives.

CONCLUSION

MRKH syndrome now appears as a multifactorial congenital developmental defect based on a combination of genetic predisposition and environmental factors. Modern medicine can help girls with MRKH syndrome to a quality sexual life. It is also able to offer different possibilities of achieving motherhood. In the future, however, further research is needed, in particular on the etiology and pathogenesis of this syndrome to detect a possible genetic basis of the disease.

Expression of tumor antigens on primary ovarian cancer cells compared to established ovarian cancer cell lines

In order to select a suitable combination of cancer cell lines as an appropriate source of antigens for dendritic cell-based immunotherapy of ovarian cancer, we analyzed the expression level of 21 tumor associated antigens (BIRC5, CA125, CEA, DDX43, EPCAM, FOLR1, Her-2/neu, MAGE-A1, MAGE-A2, MAGE-A3, MAGE-A4, MAGE-A6, MAGE-A10, MAGE-A12, MUC-1, NY-ESO-1, PRAME, p53, TPBG, TRT, WT1) in 4 established ovarian cancer cell lines and in primary tumor cells isolated from the high-grade serous epithelial ovarian cancer tissue. More than 90% of tumor samples expressed very high levels of CA125, FOLR1, EPCAM and MUC-1 and elevated levels of Her-2/neu, similarly to OVCAR-3 cell line. The combination of OV-90 and OVCAR-3 cell lines showed the highest overlap with patients' samples in the TAA expression profile.

[What is the risk of pelvic organ prolapse recurrence after vaginal hysterectomy with colporrhaphy?]

OBJECTIVE

To determine the risk of prolapse recurrence in patients after vaginal hysterectomy with colporrhaphy.

DESIGN

Retrospective clinical study.

SETTING

Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Second Faculty of Medicine, Charles University and Motol University Hospital, Prague.

METHODS

The trial involved 220 women who underwent vaginal hysterectomy with anterior and posterior kolporrhaphy at our department for uterine prolapse at least grade 2. It was the first vaginal surgery in all of the patients. Subjective feeling of pressure in the vagina and/or palpable mass in the vagina or in front of the vaginal entrance and/or objective finding decline of the vaginal walls or fundus at lest the second degree or repeated surgery for prolapse were considered as a prolapse recurrence.

RESULTS

The mean age at the time of vaginal hysterectomy was 66.7 years (range 37-88). Only 11 patients were premenopausal (5%), the others were postmenopausal, a mean time of posmenopause was 16.9 years. The average parity rate of the study group was 2.1. The average duration of the surgery was 68 minutes. Postoperative urinary retention was observed in one patient (0.45%). 156 women were enrolled in the study. The average length of follow-up was 47 months (minimum 24 months). Recurrence of prolapse based on subjective assessment occured in 24 patients (15.4 %) with pressure and resistance in the vaginal introitus. According to objective criteria, the recurrence of prolapse was diagnosed in 33 (21.2%) patients, of which 16 had prolapse of the anterior vaginal wall, three of the posterior vaginal wall (two rectocoele, one rectoenterocoele), eight combination prolapse of anterior and posterior vaginal wall and vaginal vault prolapse was diagnosed in six women. Eight patients (5. 1%) underwent surgery because of prolapse recurrence. The mean interval from primary surgery to the time of reoperation was 24.4 months (range 6-62).

CONCLUSION

Patients have to be preoperatively informed about the risk of the prolapse recurrence with the recommendation of appropriate preventive arrangements.

Clinical relevance of regulatory T cells monitoring in the peripheral blood of ovarian cancer patients

BACKGROUND

Tregs play a suppressive role in the control of antitumour immunity. In this study we evaluated the relevance of prospective monitoring of peripheral blood regulatory T cells (Tregs) as a potential prognostic marker of future outcome of epithelial ovarian cancer in patients with or without a metronomic chemotherapy.

METHODS

46 patients diagnosed with the ovarian cancer were enrolled in the study and divided into groups according to the stage of the disease, outcome of the surgery and treatment received. Proportions of Tregs in the peripheral blood samples were evaluated using flow cytometry.

RESULTS

We show that the early stage of the disease and absence of the tumor residuum after radical surgery are the most important factors predicting a favourable clinical outcome in the ovarian cancer. We did not show any significant effect of consolidation chemotherapy with metronomic doses of etoposide or cyclophosphamide on the peripheral blood Tregs and on the clinical outcome. The slope of the Tregs trend line was a significant predictor of an early relapse, even after controlling for stage and tumor residuum after the surgical debulking by using the Cox proportional hazard model.

CONCLUSIONS

This study shows that the faster kinetics of Tregs increase in the peripheral blood, expressed as the slope of the Tregs trend line, is a significant predictor of ovarian cancer early relapse hazard. However, due to its relatively low specificity, the informative value of regular monitoring of Tregs kinetics in the peripheral blood for the subsequent clinical outcome is limited.

Dynamics of T-cell infiltration during the course of ovarian cancer: the gradual shift from a Th17 effector cell response to a predominant infiltration by regulatory T-cells

The type of immune cells that are present within the tumor microenvironment can play a crucial role in the survival of patients. However, little is known about the dynamics of the tumor-infiltrating immune cells during disease progression. We studied the immune cells that infiltrated the tumor tissues of ovarian cancer patients at different stages of disease. The early stages of development of ovarian carcinomas were characterized by a strong Th17 immune response, whereas in stage II patients, recruitment of high numbers of Th1 cells was observed. In disseminated tumors (Stages III-IV), we detected a dominant population of Helios(+) activated regulatory T cells (Tregs) along with high numbers of monocytes/macrophages and myeloid dendritic cells (mDCs). Tumor-infiltrating Tregs had markedly lower expression of CCR4 than circulating Tregs, and the numbers of tumor-infiltrating Tregs significantly correlated with the levels of CCL22 in ovarian tumor cell culture supernatants, suggesting their recruitment via a CCR4/CCL22 interaction. CCL22 was mainly produced by tumor cells, monocytes/macrophages and mDCs in the primary ovarian tumors, and its expression markedly increased in response to IFNγ. Taken together, the specific recruitment of Tregs, probably triggered by inflammatory stimuli, leads to a significant immune suppression in the advanced stages of ovarian cancer.

[The effectiveness of recurrent stress urinary incontinence treatment after Burch colposuspension failure with transobturatory tape procedure]

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the safety and efficacy of the transobturatory tape (TOT) procedure in the treatment of female recurrent stress urinary incontinence after the Burch colposuspension failure.

DESIGN

Retrospective clinical trial.

SETTING

Obstetrics and Gynecology Department, Charles University, 2nd Medical School and Faculty Hospital Motol, Prague.

METHODS

The group of fifteen women was treated for recurrent stress urinary incontinence with TOT procedure. Preoperative evaluation consisted of complete urogynecological examination. The cure rate and complications were determined in postoperative follow up 6 weeks and 12 months after the surgery.

RESULTS

The mean age was 58.7 (46-64) years. Burch colposuspension was performed 6.4 (1-13) years before current TOT procedure. The cure rate in 12 month follow-up was 86.6% (13 of 15 patients), one patient was improved (6.7%). Postoperative complications occurred in 2 (13.4%) cases--one lower urinary tract infection and one overactive bladder symptomatology cured by anticholinergic therapy.

CONCLUSION

The study showed that the TOT procedure is a safe and effective minimally invasive method in the treatment of recurrent stress urinary incontinence after Burch colposuspension.

[Czech version of EORTC QLQ-CX24 questionnaire for patients with cervical cancer]

OBJECTIVE

Translation and validation of the EORTC QLQ-CX24 questionnaire on quality of life into the Czech language and literature.

TYPE OF STUDY

Prospective study.

SETTING

Dept. of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, 2nd Medical Faculty, Charles University and Faculty Hospital Motol, Prague.

METHODS

In concordance with the EORTC guidelines a questionaire for patients with cervical cancer was translated and validated. A group of 14 women who underwent the treatment for cervical cancer filled in the questionaire. T-test was used for the evaluation of the patient's characteristics and the differences in quality of life.

RESULTS

We present a Czech version of the questionaire EORTC QLQ-CX24 and the description how to evaulate it. In comparison of the two treatment groups no statistically significant differences have been found.

CONCLUSION

EORTC QLQ-CX24 is an internationally accepted questionnaire focused on patients with cervical cancer which should be incorporated into the projects dealing with women undergoing treatment for this disease.

[Uterine rupture in pregnancy--case study]

OBJECTIVE

Analysis of two cases uterine rupture following caesarian section.

SUBJECT

Two case studies.

SETTING

Gynecological obstetrics clinic, First Medical Faculty and Faculty Hospital Bulovka, Prague.

SUBJECT AND METHODS

The authors in their article describe two cases of rupture of the uterus in pregnancy prior to delivery. In both cases there was a history of cervicocorporal caesarian section.

CONCLUSION

In the first case the patient was admitted from her home with bleeding, and signed a nonconsent form. The second case concerned a hospitalized patient, in which the first signs of uterine rupture were indicated by fetal heart rate. Both women underwent hysterectomy, paradoxically, in the first case the child was saved and discharged home in good health.