Patients with acute cervical insufficiency without intra-amniotic infection/inflammation treated with cerclage have a good prognosis

Background The frequency of intra-amniotic infection/inflammation (IAI/I) in patients with midtrimester cervical insufficiency is up to 50%. Our purpose was to determine the perinatal outcomes of cervical cerclage in patients with acute cervical insufficiency with bulging membranes, and to compare the admission-to-delivery interval and pregnancy outcomes according to the results of amniotic fluid (AF) analysis and cerclage placement. Methods This was a retrospective cohort study including singleton pregnancies with cervical insufficiency between 15 and 26.9 weeks in two tertiary health centers. IAI/I was defined when at least one of the following criteria was present in AF: (a) a white blood cell (WBC) count >50 cells/mm3; (b) glucose concentration <14 mg/dL; and/or (c) a Gram stain positive for bacteria. Three different groups were compared: (1) absence of IAI/I with placement of a cerclage; (2) amniocentesis not performed with placement of a cerclage; and (3) IAI/I with or without a cerclage. Results Seventy patients underwent an amniocentesis to rule out IAI/I. The prevalence of IAI/I was 19%. Forty-seven patients underwent a cerclage. Patients with a cerclage had a longer median admission-to-delivery interval (33 vs. 2 days; P < 0.001) and delivered at a higher median gestational age (27.4 vs. 22.6 weeks; P = 0.001) than those without a cerclage. The neonatal survival rate in the cerclage group was 62% vs. 23% in those without a cerclage (P = 0.01). Patients without IAI/I who underwent a cerclage had a longer median admission-to-delivery interval (43 vs. 1 day; P < 0.001), delivered at a higher median gestational age (28 vs. 22.1 weeks; P = 0.001) and had a higher neonatal survival rate (67% vs. 8%; P < 0.001) than those with IAI/I. Conclusion The pregnancy outcomes of patients with midtrimester cervical insufficiency and bulging membranes are poor as they have a high prevalence of IAI/I. Therefore, a pre-operative amniocentesis is key to identify the best candidates for the subsequent placement of a cerclage.

[Responsiveness of the chilean version of the International Consultation on Incontinence Questionnaire Short-Form (ICIQ-SF)]

BACKGROUND

A symptom questionnaire must be able to detect minimal changes after treatment to be clinically useful.

AIM

To evaluate the responsiveness of the Spanish-Chilean version of the ICIQ-SF questionnaire after medical and surgical procedures for the treatment of urinary incontinence (UI) in women consulting at a public Chilean Hospital.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

Data of 124 women aged 59 ± 10 years who were treated for UI and in whom ICIQ-SF questionnaire was applied in two opportunities (before and after medical or surgical treatment), was analyzed. The sign test for paired samples was used to compare the response of each item of the questionnaire. Responsiveness of the total severity score for UI was assessed by changes of slopes estimated by Generalized Estimating Equations. Slopes of change for every type of treatment were also compared.

RESULTS

Sixty two percent of the women underwent surgical treatment. The slope of the total severity score for medical treatment was -4.4 (p-value < 0.001 for change) and 12.6 (p-value < 0.001 for change) for surgical treatment. Changes in surgical treatment were significantly higher than those of medical treatment (p-value < 0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

The Spanish-Chilean version of the ICIQ-SF questionnaire was able to detect changes as a result of surgical and medical treatment for urinary incontinence in the study population, fulfilling the validity of responsiveness criterion.