Gabapentin for chronic pelvic pain in women (GaPP2): a multicentre, randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial

BACKGROUND

Chronic pelvic pain affects 2-24% of women worldwide and evidence for medical treatments is scarce. Gabapentin is effective in treating some chronic pain conditions. We aimed to measure the efficacy and safety of gabapentin in women with chronic pelvic pain and no obvious pelvic pathology.

METHODS

We performed a multicentre, randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled randomised trial in 39 UK hospital centres. Eligible participants were women with chronic pelvic pain (with or without dysmenorrhoea or dyspareunia) of at least 3 months duration. Inclusion criteria were 18-50 years of age, use or willingness to use contraception to avoid pregnancy, and no obvious pelvic pathology at laparoscopy, which must have taken place at least 2 weeks before consent but less than 36 months previously. Participants were randomly assigned in a 1:1 ratio to receive gabapentin (titrated to a maximum dose of 2700 mg daily) or matching placebo for 16 weeks. The online randomisation system minimised allocations by presence or absence of dysmenorrhoea, psychological distress, current use of hormonal contraceptives, and hospital centre. The appearance, route, and administration of the assigned intervention were identical in both groups. Patients, clinicians, and research staff were unaware of the trial group assignments throughout the trial. Participants were unmasked once they had provided all outcome data at week 16-17, or sooner if a serious adverse event requiring knowledge of the study drug occurred. The dual primary outcome measures were worst and average pain scores assessed separately on a numerical rating scale in weeks 13-16 after randomisation, in the intention-to-treat population. Self-reported adverse events were assessed according to intention-to-treat principles. This trial is registered with the ISRCTN registry, ISCRTN77451762.

FINDINGS

Participants were screened between Nov 30, 2015, and March 6, 2019, and 306 were randomly assigned (153 to gabapentin and 153 to placebo). There were no significant between-group differences in both worst and average numerical rating scale (NRS) pain scores at 13-16 weeks after randomisation. The mean worst NRS pain score was 7·1 (standard deviation [SD] 2·6) in the gabapentin group and 7·4 (SD 2·2) in the placebo group. Mean change from baseline was -1·4 (SD 2·3) in the gabapentin group and -1·2 (SD 2·1) in the placebo group (adjusted mean difference -0·20 [97·5% CI -0·81 to 0·42]; p=0·47). The mean average NRS pain score was 4·3 (SD 2·3) in the gabapentin group and 4·5 (SD 2·2) in the placebo group. Mean change from baseline was -1·1 (SD 2·0) in the gabapentin group and -0·9 (SD 1·8) in the placebo group (adjusted mean difference -0·18 [97·5% CI -0·71 to 0·35]; p=0·45). More women had a serious adverse event in the gabapentin group than in the placebo group (10 [7%] of 153 in the gabapentin group compared with 3 [2%] of 153 in the placebo group; p=0·04). Dizziness, drowsiness, and visual disturbances were more common in the gabapentin group.

INTERPRETATION

This study was adequately powered, but treatment with gabapentin did not result in significantly lower pain scores in women with chronic pelvic pain, and was associated with higher rates of side-effects than placebo. Given the increasing reports of abuse and evidence of potential harms associated with gabapentin use, it is important that clinicians consider alternative treatment options to off-label gabapentin for the management of chronic pelvic pain and no obvious pelvic pathology.

FUNDING

National Institute for Health Research.

GaPP2, a multicentre randomised controlled trial of the efficacy of gabapentin for the management of chronic pelvic pain in women: study protocol

INTRODUCTION

Chronic pelvic pain (CPP) affects more than 1 million UK women with associated healthcare costs of £158 million annually. Current evidence supporting interventions when no underlying pathology is identified is very limited and treatment is frequently inadequate. Gabapentin (a GABA analogue) is efficacious and often well tolerated in other chronic pain conditions. We have completed a successful pilot randomised controlled trial Gabapentin for Pelvic Pain 1 (GaPP1) and here describe the protocol for our definitive multicentre trial to assess the efficacy of gabapentin in the management of CPP in women Gabapentin for Pelvic Pain 2 (GaPP2).

METHODS AND ANALYSIS

We plan to perform a double-blind placebo-controlled randomised multicentre clinical trial, recruiting 300 women with CPP from up to 40 National Health Service hospitals within the UK. After randomisation, women will titrate their medication (gabapentin or placebo) over a 4-week period to a maximum of 2700 mg or placebo equivalent and will then maintain a stable dose for a 12-week period. Response to treatment will be monitored with validated questionnaires and coprimary outcome measures of average and worst pain scores will be employed. The primary objective is to test the hypothesis that treatment with gabapentin has the potential to provide an effective oral treatment to alleviate pain in women with CPP in the absence of any obvious pelvic pathology.

ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION

Ethical approval has been obtained from the Coventry and Warwick Research Ethics Committee (REC 15/WM/0036). Data will be presented at international conferences and published in peer-reviewed journals. We will make the information obtained from the study available to the public through national bodies and charities.

TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER

ISRCTN77451762; Pre-results.

3D Blood Vessels Reconstruction Based on Segmented CT Data for Further Simulations of Hemodynamic in Human Artery Branches

We aimed at the reconstruction of the branches of human aortic arch for blood perfusion analysis used later in the Computational Fluid Dynamic (CFD). The reconstruction was performed based on segmentation results obtained from CT data. Two segmentation algorithms, region growing and level set were implemented. Obtained binary segmentation results were next evaluated by the expert and corrected if needed. The final reconstruction was used for preparation of a numerical grid and for further calculation of blood hemodynamic. The collected data composed of blood velocity and blood flow rate in function of time were compared with USG-Doppler data. Results demonstrate that proposed algorithm may be useful for initial reconstruction of human cardiac system, however its accuracy needs to be improved as further manual corrections are still needed.

Arterio-biliary fistulas: What to choose as endovascular treatment?

Objectives Endovascular procedures are the treatment of choice in cases of intrahepatic fistulas. Arterio-biliary fistulas are the rarest and most difficult to treat, due to high risk of infection. Methods Eight cases of persistent hemobilia that developed as a result of arterio-biliary fistulas are presented. Five cases developed as a result of iatrogenic injury, two cases as a result of chronic infection, one case as a consequence of trauma. Results Patients were treated using endovascular embolization or combined endovascular and endoscopic biliary tract revision. The results were monitored after six to seven days and one month after embolization. The embolizations were considered effective in all cases. One patient had four asynchronous fistulas requiring separate treatments sessions. Four patients required a revision of their biliary ducts after embolization and restoration of patency. In one patient, a migration of the coil to biliary ducts occurred. Conclusion Endovascular treatment of arterio-biliary fistulas is safe and effective. The use of embolization with soft and biodegradable materials like histoacrylic glue or thrombin may be the optimal method of treatment in comparison with coils which have a risk of migration or chronic infection.

Mechanical thrombectomy in acute stroke - Five years of experience in Poland

OBJECTIVES

Mechanical thrombectomy (MT) is not reimbursed by the Polish public health system. We present a description of 5 years of experience with MT in acute stroke in Comprehensive Stroke Centers (CSCs) in Poland.

METHODS AND RESULTS

We retrospectively analyzed the results of a structured questionnaire from 23 out of 25 identified CSCs and 22 data sets that include 61 clinical, radiological and outcome measures.

RESULTS

Most of the CSCs (74%) were founded at University Hospitals and most (65.2%) work round the clock. In 78.3% of them, the working teams are composed of neurologists and neuro-radiologists. All CSCs perform CT and angio-CT before MT. In total 586 patients were subjected to MT and data from 531 of them were analyzed. Mean time laps from stroke onset to groin puncture was 250±99min. 90.3% of the studied patients had MT within 6h from stroke onset; 59.3% of them were treated with IV rt-PA prior to MT; 15.1% had IA rt-PA during MT and 4.7% - emergent stenting of a large vessel. M1 of MCA was occluded in 47.8% of cases. The Solitaire device was used in 53% of cases. Successful recanalization (TICI2b-TICI3) was achieved in 64.6% of cases and 53.4% of patients did not experience hemorrhagic transformation. Clinical improvement on discharge was noticed in 53.7% of cases, futile recanalization - in 30.7%, mRS of 0-2 - in 31.4% and mRS of 6 in 22% of cases.

CONCLUSION

Our results can help harmonize standards for MT in Poland according to international guidelines.

Arteria trigemina primitiva - radiological report of three cases and review of literature

The main aim of this paper is to present 3 cases of persistent (patent) primitive trigeminal artery incidentally revealed during various radiological examinations. The presence and function of these vessels in extrauterine life is sometimes associated with other vascular abnormalities, e.g. aneurysms, haemangiomas, moyamoya disease, but frequently found incidentally without any negative signs or symptoms. The presented cases of patients with primitive trigeminal artery clearly show that the reported ailments, which had made the diagnostic imagining necessary, were not associated with the patency of this artery.

Pathological Subtrochanteric Femoral Fracture Due to Extensive Arterio-venous Malformation. A Case Study

Despite the case of a 19-year-old male with a pathological subtrochanteric left femoral fracture in the course of an extensive arteriovenous malformation of the left thigh. The arteriovenous malformation was diagnosed when the patient was 16 years old. He has undergone several embolization procedures. The fracture was caused by a fall from the patient's own height. Before the patient was qualified for surgery of the fracture, a left lower limb angiography confirmed the presence of extensive pathological vascularity (arteriovenous malformation), and an embolization procedure was performed on the branches and trunk of the left deep femoral artery, several vessels branching off of the proximal and distal segment of the superficial femoral artery and one branch of the internal iliac artery. That was followed by internal stabilization of the left femur with a Targon PF intramedullary nail, resulting in an optimal therapeutic effect with a relatively low blood loss. This case presents a rare clinical problem that constitutes a significant therapeutic challenge.

An unusual duplication of the inferior vena cava in a patient with endovascular repair for abdominal aortic aneurysm

A 66-year-old Caucasian male, with sensation of abdominal pulsation was admitted to our hospital. In multidetector 64-row computed tomography (CT) angiography, an abdominal aortic aneurysm was observed. Endovascular aortic repair was performed. Control CT confirmed prosperity with stent graft fixation and absence of any vascular complications. Investigation also showed asymmetrical duplication of the inferior vena cava (IVC). Right (RIVC) and left (LIVC) inferior vena cava arose from the confluence of the right and left iliac veins. The LIVC continued as left renal vein.

A 3D model of thrombus formation in a stent-graft after implantation in the abdominal aorta

Here we present a 3D kinetic model of thrombus formation in an endovascular prosthesis after implantation in an abdominal aorta with an aneurysm. The computational fluid dynamic technique (CFD) was used to determine the process of thrombus formation and growth in the stent-graft on the basis of the medical data from computed tomography angiography and Doppler ultrasound examination of 10 patients. The Quemada model was used to describe rheological properties of blood. Results of the CFD simulations were validated based on actual data from patients with diagnosed thrombi in aortic implants. The results show that the elaborated CFD model correctly predicted thrombus formation, shape and deposition site in an endovascular prosthesis. The developed CFD model of thrombus growth can be applied to predict the risk of thrombus formation in stent-grafts and assist in selection of geometry of the endovascular prosthesis to reduce possible complications after stent-graft implantation using only basic medical data.

Acute brain ischemia as a complication of the Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, the case series

Vascular type of Ehlers-Danlos syndrome involves many severe complications leading not only to organ-specific symptoms but often ends in a sudden death. The aim of this paper was to present a diagnostic possibilities and its efficiency rate in patients with vascular complications of Ehlers-Danlos syndrome who suffered from artery dissection resulting in acute brain or limb ischemia. We analysed three patients with diagnosed Ehlers-Danlos syndrome who were referred to radiology department for diagnostic imaging of affected vascular beds, each experienced brain ischemia. The paper also aims at offering some general recommendations for patients suffering from possible complications of type IV Ehlers-Danlos syndrome basing on our own experience and available literature data.

The role of MRI in diagnostic algorithm of cervicofacial vascular anomalies in children

Background:

Vascular anomalies are usually diagnosed through their clinical picture and history. The purpose of this study was to assess the role of MR imaging in initial assessment of cervicofacial vascular anomalies in children.

Material/Methods:

Twenty pediatric patients with vascular anomalies located in the cervicofacial region underwent MRI examination in our department. Images were evaluated for lesion detectability and its signal characteristics (on T1w, T2w images with fat suppression and contrast enhanced T1w sequences); the extent of the lesions and surrounding tissue involvement were also assessed.

Results:

In the studied group MR images revealed all anomalies and provided information of their anatomic extent and invasion of surrounding anatomic structures. Nine hemangiomas and six venous malformations were found among studied patients. Two children had multiloculated lesions corresponding to lymphatic malformations. One examination visualized a lesion consisting mainly of dilated vascular channels with an apparent feeding artery, which was consistent with arteriovenous malformation. Two remaining lesions were mixed malformations. Nine patients had lesions limited to subcutaneous tissue. Two masses infiltrated bone structures. There was muscle involvement found in nine cases.

Conclusions:

MR imaging is a well-established method for detection and monitoring of vascular anomalies in children. With ultrasound used mostly for initial diagnosis and additional flow assessment, angiography viewed as an invasive therapeutic method and computed tomography used only in specific situations due to its high irradiation dose, magnetic resonance is the best imaging method used in differential diagnosis and topographical characterization of vascular malformations and tumors of cervicofacial area in pediatric patients. Noninvasively and without irradiation, it enables evaluation of the extent and characteristics of lesions and planning proper therapeutic strategy.

Posterior wall capture and femoral artery stenosis following use of StarClose closing device: diagnosis and therapy

A case of femoral artery obstruction following application of a StarClose type arterial puncture closing device (APCD) is presented. Ultrasonographic and angiographic imaging of this complication was obtained. The posterior wall of the vessel was accidentally caught in the anchoring element of the nitinol clip. This complication was successfully resolved by endovascular treatment and the implantation of a stent.

Pancreatitis-related abdominal aortic pseudoaneurysms treated with stent-grafts

Endovascular treatment of pseudoaneurysms that develop as a complication of pancreatitis is increasingly more common. A case of a pseudoaneurysm of the abdominal aorta initially treated by implantation of a straight aortic stent-graft is presented. In the 4 months after the procedure, chronic inflammation of the retroperitoneal space caused a further perforation on the posterior wall of the aorta in the area of the bifurcation, distal to the graft. Implantation of a bifurcated stent-graft was subsequently performed. The aneurysm was excluded, with the implant and peripheral arteries remaining patent.

Infectious or noninfectious? Ruptured, thrombosed inflammatory aortic aneurysm with spondylolysis

Osteolysis of vertebrae due to inflammatory aortic aneurysm is rarely observed. However, it is estimated that up to 10 % of infectious aneurysms coexist with bone tissue destruction, most commonly the vertebrae. Inflammatory aneurysms with no identified infection factor, along with infiltration of adjacent muscle and in particular extensive destruction of bone tissue have rarely been described in the literature. A case of inflammatory aneurysm with posterior wall rupture and inflammatory infiltration of the iliopsoas muscle and spine, together with extensive vertebral body destruction, is presented. The aneurysm was successfully treated with endovascular aneurysm repair EVAR.

Hepatitis and the polyglandular autoimmune syndrome, type 1

Autoimmune polyglandular syndrome, type 1 (APS-1) is a rare syndrome. Here we present a case report of a 24-year-old female patient who complained of progressive weakness. While autoimmune hepatitis was diagnosed, no improvement of biochemical parameters was obtained after immunosuppressive treatment. Hypoparathyroidism and adrenocortical failure were identified. Her health status clearly improved once proper control of the calcium-phosphate metabolism was obtained and after the administration of substitution hydrocortisone doses, leading to full normalization of biochemical liver tests. The reported case illustrates a rare form of APS-1 failure, in which the diagnosed autoimmune hepatitis was only the first symptom.

Herpes simplex encephalitis: a case report

BACKGROUND

Despite advances in antiviral therapy over the past 2 decades, herpes simplex encephalitis (HSE) remains a serious illness with significant risk of morbidity and death. HSE is the most common cause of sporadic viral encephalitis, with a predilection for the temporal lobes and a range of clinical presentations, from aseptic meningitis and fever to a severe rapidly progressive form involving altered consciousness. Clinical features of HSE include fever with mental status changes (depressed level of consciousness, confusion, disorientation, personality changes) sometimes with seizures (focal or generalized), dysphagia, or other focal neurological signs. Symptoms vary in intensity early in the disease, but tend to progress rapidly. CT and MRI can play an important role in determining the diagnosis and extent of the disease.

CASE REPORT

This case report refers to a 17-year-old girl, previously diagnosed with herpes encephalitis, and presents the outcome of rehabilitation on the patient's mental state during a 7-year follow-up period.

CONCLUSIONS

The prognosis for patients with HSE has been dramatically improved by the availability of specific antiviral therapy; sequelae in surviving patients may include severe neurological deficits, seizures, and/or neuropsychological dysfunctions that greatly impair quality of life. To improve the prognosis for patients with HSE, acyclovir treatment should be initiated as soon as HSE is suspected. After discharge, rehabilitation should be provided, in the effort to improve the patient's self-reliance in everyday life.