Abimbola O. Famuyide

Prediction of Treatment Outcomes After Global Endometrial Ablation

OBJECTIVE: To report rates of amenorrhea and treatment failure after global endometrial ablation and to estimate the association between patient factors and these outcomes by developing and validating prediction models. METHODS: From January 1998 through December 2005, 816 women underwent global endometrial ablation with either a thermal balloon ablation or radio frequency ablation device; 455 were included in a population-derived cohort (for model development), and 361 were included in a referral-derived cohort (for model validation). Amenorrhea was defined as cessation of bleeding from immediately after ablation through at least 12 months after the procedure. Treatment failure was defined as hysterectomy or reablation for patients with bleeding or pain. Logistic and Cox proportional hazard regression models were used in model development and validation of potential predictors of outcomes. RESULTS: The amenorrhea rate was 23% (95% confidence interval [CI] 19–28%) and the 5-year cumulative failure rate was 16% (95% CI 10–20%). Predictors of amenorrhea were age 45 years or older (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 2.6, 95% CI 1.6–4.3); uterine length less than 9 cm (aOR 1.8, 95% CI 1.1–3.1); endometrial thickness less than 4 mm (aOR 2.7, 95% CI 1.2–6.3); and use of radio-frequency ablation instead of thermal balloon ablation (aOR 2.8, 95% CI 1.7–4.9). Predictors of treatment failure included age younger than 45 years (adjusted hazard ratio [aHR] 2.6, 95% CI 1.3–5.1); parity of 5 or greater (aHR 6.0, 95% CI 2.5–14.8); prior tubal ligation (aHR 2.2, 95% CI 1.2–4.0); and history of dysmenorrhea (aHR 3.7, 95% CI 1.6–8.5). After global endometrial ablation, 23 women (5.1%, 95% CI 3.2–7.5%) had pelvic pain, three (0.7%, 95% CI 0.1–1.9%) were pregnant, and none (95% CI 0–0.8%) had endometrial cancer. CONCLUSION: Population-derived rates and predictors of treatment outcomes after global endometrial ablation may help physicians offer optimal preprocedural patient counseling. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: II

Robotic radical hysterectomy in early stage cervical cancer: A systematic review and meta-analysis

OBJECTIVE To compare intraoperative and short-term postoperative outcomes of robotic radical hysterectomy (RRH) to laparoscopic and open approaches in the treatment of early stage cervical cancer. METHODS A search of MEDLINE, EMBASE (using Ovid interface) and SCOPUS databases was conducted from database inception through February 15, 2014. We included studies comparing surgical approaches to radical hysterectomy (robotic vs. laparoscopic or abdominal, or both) in women with stages IA1-IIA cervical cancer. Intraoperative outcomes included estimated blood loss (EBL), operative time, number of pelvic lymph nodes harvested and intraoperative complications. Postoperative outcomes were hospital stay and surgical morbidity. The random effects model was used to pool weighted mean differences (WMDs) and odds ratios (OR). RESULTS Twenty six nonrandomized studies were included (10 RRH vs abdominal radical hysterectomy [ARH], 9 RRH vs laparoscopic radical hysterectomy [LRH] and 7 compared all 3 approaches) enrolling 4013 women (1013 RRH, 710 LRH and 2290 ARH). RRH was associated with less EBL (WMD=384.3, 95% CI=233.7, 534.8) and shorter hospital stay (WMD=3.55, 95% CI=2.10, 5.00) than ARH. RRH was also associated with lower odds of febrile morbidity (OR=0.43, 95% CI=0.20-0.89), blood transfusion (OR=0.12, 95% CI 0.06, 0.25) and wound-related complications (OR=0.31, 95% CI=0.13, 0.73) vs. ARH. RRH was comparable to LRH in all intra- and postoperative outcomes. CONCLUSION Current evidence suggests that RRH may be superior to ARH with lower EBL, shorter hospital stay, less febrile morbidity and wound-related complications. RRH and LRH appear equivalent in intraoperative and short-term postoperative outcomes and thus the choice of approach can be tailored to the choice of patient and surgeon.

Vaginal erosion, sinus formation, and ischiorectal abscess following transobturator tape: ObTape implantation.

A 50-year-old woman was referred for evaluation with an 8-month history of intermittent malodorous vaginal discharge initially noted 2 months after placement of a transobturator tape for stress urinary incontinence. Evaluation revealed erosion of the tape through the vaginal wall with a sinus tract associated with an ischiorectal abscess. Surgical removal of the tape with excision of the sinus tract, drain placement, and antibiotic therapy was needed for complete resolution of the symptoms. Infectious complications need to be considered when counseling women prior to synthetic sling placement. A high index of suspicion, meticulous sub- and periurethral inspection, along with aggressive surgical management are required to treat an infected draining abscess following synthetic transobturator sling placement.

Global endometrial ablation for menorrhagia in women with bleeding disorders

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the efficacy of global endometrial ablation in women with bleeding disorders who presented with menorrhagia. METHODS: A records-linkage system was used to construct a retrospective cohort of 41 women with bleeding disorders (coagulopathy) and a reference group of 111 randomly selected women without bleeding disorders from a pool of 943 women who underwent global endometrial ablation (with thermal balloon ablation technology or bipolar radiofrequency ablation technology) for menorrhagia at Mayo Clinic (Rochester, Minnesota) from January 1995 through December 2005. Demographic data, type of global endometrial ablation therapy and reablation, and hysterectomy data were extracted from the database. RESULTS: There was no significant difference in baseline age, parity, body mass index, uterine size, type of global endometrial ablation therapy, or duration of follow-up between the groups. Two women (5%) in the coagulopathy group had hysterectomy or reablation, compared with 8 (7%) in the reference group (Fisher exact test, P=.728). A Kaplan-Meier plot showed no difference in the time to treatment failure between the groups (log-rank test, P=.534). Procedural-related complications were generally minor and infrequent (9 of 152 [6%]). Complications were equally distributed in the coagulopathy (4 of 41) and reference groups (6 of 111) (Fisher exact test, P=.267). CONCLUSION: Global endometrial ablation is an effective treatment choice for women with coagulopathy presenting with menorrhagia. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: II

Endometrial Cancer After Endometrial Ablation: Systematic Review of Medical Literature

Data are limited regarding the occurrence of endometrial cancer after endometrial ablation (EA). A systematic review of the English-language medical literature was performed of cases of endometrial cancer after EA. This review included the present case report involving a 47-year-old woman with a diagnosis of stage IA, grade 1 endometrial adenocarcinoma 5 years after radiofrequency EA. The systematic literature review identified 22 endometrial cancer cases occurring after EA. Most (76.5%) were stage I at diagnosis. Time to endometrial cancer diagnosis ranged from 2 weeks to 10 years following EA. All but 3 cases involved patients with known endometrial cancer risk factors. To our knowledge, the present case is the first reported occurrence of endometrial cancer after radiofrequency EA. Endometrial cancer has been detected after EA at variable intervals. Occurrence of endometrial cancer after EA is low, yet it continues to be difficult to quantify through retrospective analyses.

Hysterosalpingography for Assessing Efficacy of Essure Microinsert Permanent Birth Control Device

OBJECTIVE The Essure microinsert is a new U.S. Food and Drug Administration-approved method of birth control. The objective of this study is to report our initial experience using hysterosalpingography (HSG) to assess its efficacy for permanent tubal occlusion. CONCLUSION The Essure microinsert produced tubal blockage in all patients. As this device may become more widely used, radiologists should be aware of the devices appearance and be able to assess device position and presence of tubal occlusion on HSG.

Pathologic Characteristics of Hysterectomy Specimens in Women Undergoing Hysterectomy after Global Endometrial Ablation

STUDY OBJECTIVE To describe uterine pathologic features in women who underwent hysterectomy because of failed global endometrial ablation (GEA). DESIGN Retrospective cohort study from 1998 through 2005 (Canadian Task Force classification III). SETTING Tertiary referral center. PATIENTS Sixty-nine women who underwent hysterectomy because of GEA failure. INTERVENTIONS Pathology reports were available for 67 patients. Descriptions of hysterectomy specimens after GEA were reviewed. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS Rates of pathologic findings in hysterectomy specimens after failed GEA were determined. Reasons for hysterectomy in the 67 patients with available pathology reports were bleeding in 34 (51%), pain in 19 (28%), and bleeding and pain in 14 (21%). The pathology reports of these specimens showed leiomyomas in 33 specimens (49%); intramural myomas were present in 15 women (44%) who underwent hysterectomy because of bleeding and 8 women (42%) who underwent hysterectomy because of pain. Hematometra was identified in 7 pathologic specimens (10%). Specifically, hematometra was identified in specimens from 5 of 19 women who underwent hysterectomy because of pain (26%). CONCLUSION Hematometra was a significant finding in women who underwent hysterectomy because of persistent pain after GEA. A possible pathologic predictor of GEA failure may be intramural leiomyomas.

Efficacy and safety of global endometrial ablation after cesarean delivery: a cohort study

OBJECTIVE The objective of the study was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of global endometrial ablation in women with a history of cesarean delivery. STUDY DESIGN We performed a historical cohort study of patients who underwent endometrial ablation for menorrhagia between 1998 and 2005. Outcome measures included amenorrhea, treatment failure, and operative complications. Time to treatment failure was compared using Kaplan-Meier analysis. Risk adjustments were performed using Cox and logistic regression models. RESULTS Of 704 patients meeting inclusion criteria, 162 (23%) had a history of 1 or more cesarean deliveries. Women with and without a history of cesarean delivery had comparable rates for 5 year cumulative endometrial ablation failure, amenorrhea, treatment failure, and operative complications. The type of ablation device and number of previous cesarean deliveries did not affect any outcomes. CONCLUSION The efficacy and safety of endometrial ablation are comparable in women with or without a history of cesarean delivery.

Sonography, CT, and MRI Appearance of the Essure Microinsert Permanent Birth Control Device

OBJECTIVE The purpose of this article is to describe the appearance and location of the Essure permanent birth control device on sonography, CT, and MRI. CONCLUSION The Essure device has a distinct appearance and typical location that allow it to be accurately identified on sonography, CT, and MRI scans.

Risk factors for developing endometrial cancer after benign endometrial sampling.

OBJECTIVE: To identify risk factors for endometrial cancer after benign results of endometrial biopsy or dilation and curettage (D&C). METHODS: Nested case-control study from Rochester Epidemiology Project data. Among 370 Olmsted County, Minnesota, residents who received an endometrial cancer diagnosis between 1970 and 2008, we identified 90 patients (24.5%) who had previous benign endometrial biopsy or D&C results (no atypical hyperplasia). We compared them with 172 matched control group participants who had benign endometrial biopsy or D&C results without subsequent endometrial cancer. RESULTS: Using a multivariable conditional logistic regression model, we found that oral contraceptive pill (OCP) use was protective (odds ratio [OR] 0.18, 95% CI [CI] 0.08–0.45; P<.001), and personal history of colorectal cancer (OR 4.44, 95% CI 1.02–19.31; P<.05), endometrial polyp (OR 4.12, 95% CI 1.40–12.17; P=.01), and morbid obesity (OR 3.40, 95% CI 1.18–9.78; P<.03) were independently associated with subsequent endometrial cancer. Compared with the presence of no risk factor, presence of one and two or more risk factors increased the risk of endometrial cancer by 8.12 (95% CI 3.08–21.44) and 17.87 (95% CI 5.57–57.39) times, respectively. Assuming a 2.6% lifetime risk of endometrial cancer, ORs of 8.12 and 17.87 for one and two or more of the four aforementioned risk factors confer a lifetime risk of approximately 18% and 32%, respectively. CONCLUSION: One fourth of patients with endometrial cancer had previous benign endometrial biopsy or D&C results. Personal history of colorectal cancer, presence of endometrial polyps, and morbid obesity are the strongest risk factors for having endometrial cancer after a benign endometrial biopsy or D&C result, and OCP use is the strongest protective factor. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: II