Burak Tatar

The evaluation of risk factors for failed response to conservative treatment in tubo-ovarian abscesses.

OBJECTIVE The aim of our study is to assess the risk factors for medical treatment failure and to predict the patients who will require the surgical therapy as well as to predict the factors affecting treatment success. MATERIAL AND METHODS This was a cross-sectional study including 76 women with tubo-ovarian abscesses (TOA) who were either conservatively or surgically treated and were admitted to two gynecology units over a 4-year period. The demographic characteristics of the patients, gynecologic and obstetric histories, size and localization of abscesses were recorded. Gentamicin plus clindamycin treatment protocol was implemented for all patients. Ampicillin treatment was added in three patients with the positive culture of Actinomyces. Response to treatment was evaluated after 48-72 h. Patients who fail to respond to medical treatment required surgery or percutaneous drainage. We compared clinical and laboratory factors between the groups. RESULTS In surgery group, patients were significantly older than the others (44.9±5.4 versus 39.1±7.6 years). Fifty-six patients (74%) responded to antibiotics and 20 of the patients required surgical intervention. Patients treated with antibiotics were hospitalized for an average of 6.32±2.8 days versus 12.75±5.6 days for those who required surgery (p=0.021). Patients who were surgically treated had a mean size of TOA of 67.9±11.2 mm versus 53.6±9.4 mm for those treated with antibiotics alone (p=0.036). There were no significant differences between groups in laboratory parameters, except for initial white blood cell (WBC) counts. The complications of surgery included in descending order of frequency blood transfusions, surgical wound infections, bowel injury, and bladder injury. CONCLUSION An increased size of pelvic mass, higher initial WBC counts, advanced age, and smoking were all associated with failed response to conservative treatment. It is important to identify the risk factors to distinguish patients who will respond to antibiotic therapy and those who will need a surgical treatment. Thus, the required early intervention can result in a reduction in the morbidity associated with TOA.

Utero-cutaneous Fistula after Multiple Abdominal Myomectomies: A Case Report

BACKGROUND Utero-cutaneous fistula (UCF) is an extremely rare entity and only a few case reports have been published. Most UCFs develop secondary to post-partum or postoperative complications. CASE REPORT A 42 year-old woman began to complain from bleeding and malodorous discharge through her abdominal incision scar. The fistula tract with a thickness of 8 mm was observed between the uterus and wound using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The risks and benefits of conservative treatment have been discussed; the patient demanded definitive treatment, so hysterectomy and excision of the fistulous tract was performed. Histopathology of the fistulous tract showed endometrial epithelization of the tract lined by granulation. CONCLUSION There are many causes of such an extremely rare entity. Patients should be counseled for medical or surgical treatment considering their age, accompanied uterine pathologies such as fibroids and fertility expectations.

The role of immunohistochemical adrenomedullin and Bcl-2 expression in development of type-1 endometrial adenocarcinoma: Adrenomedullin expression in endometrium.

BACKGROUND Adrenomedullin (AM) is a pluripotent peptide first discovered from human pheochromocytoma. AM expression has been shown in various cancer types including endometrium cancer. Bcl-2 is an antiapoptotic protein which might be regulated by AM in hypoxic conditions. The aim of the present study was to investigate the role of AM and Bcl-2 expressions in carcinogenesis of type-1 endometrium cancer. MATERIALS AND METHOD Study group consisted of 10 proliferative endometrium, 22 simple endometrial hyperplasia, 23 endometrial intraepithelial neoplasia (EIN) and 30 Grade 1 endometrioid adenocarcinoma patients. AM and Bcl-2 expressions were investigated by immunohistochemistry. RESULTS Mean AM Allred score was 3±2.6, 5.6±1.6 and 5.7±2.5 in benign, EIN and adenocarcinoma groups, respectively. AM expression was significantly higher in EIN and adenocarcinoma groups than in benign endometrium group (p<0.05). Mean Bcl-2 Allred score was 6.4±2.1, 5.2±2.6, 2.3±2 in benign endometrium, EIN and adenocarcinoma groups, respectively. Mean Bcl-2 Allred score was similar between benign endometrium and EIN groups (p>0.05). However, it was significantly lower in adenocarcinoma group (p<0.05). An inverse correlation between AM and Bcl-2 expressions was found (r: -0.4, p<0.001). CONCLUSIONS Our findings showed that AM expression increased in progression from benign endometrium to EIN and type-1 adenocarcinoma while expression of Bcl-2 decreased in transition from EIN to carcinoma.

Management of vesicovaginal fistulas after gynecologic surgery

Objective: In developed nations, surgery, especially gynecologic procedures, is the major cause of vesicovaginal fistulas (VVFs). We retrospectively evaluated our treatment modalities for VVF repair caused by a gynecologic surgery, and discussed the reasons of selecting certain surgical techniques and their outcomes. Materials and Methods: We compared the surgical procedure preferences of surgeons and their results with patient and surgeon characteristics for the management of VVFs after an inciting gynecologic surgery in Süleyman Demirel University Hospital, Isparta over a 10-year period. The surgical procedures were undertaken in departments of urology and obstetrics and gynecology. Results: Abdominal repair was chosen for 65%, vaginal repair for 25%, and laparoscopic repair for 10% of patients. For the 75% of the patients that urologists operated, they chose the abdominal route. The mean parity number of patients who underwent abdominal repair was lower than that for vaginal repairs (p<0.05). For the patients managed with the vaginal route, 20% had a Martius flap, and 80% had a simple excision and repair. For patients operated via the abdominal route, 18% needed omental flap; no tissue interposition was used for the rest. The mean hospitalization time was less in patients managed with transvaginal repair (3.4 days) compared with transabdominal repair (9.2 days) (p<0.05). Conclusion: The choice of repair method depends on surgeon’s training (gynecology vs. urology). The vaginal route should be the first choice because it does not compromise the success rate and the mean hospitalization time is less. For the transvaginal approach, access to the lesion is the most important factor for the success of the procedure. No flap is needed for tissues that appear well vascularized.

Vesicocutaneus fistula after cesarean section-a curious complication: Case report and review

Vesicocutaneous fistulas are very rare pathologies in the urinary tract. We present the second case of a vesicocutaneus fistula after cesarean section, and discuss strategies for prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of this exceptional complication. A woman with a vesicocutaneous fistula after cesarean delivery was admitted and diagnostic tests including fluoroscopy, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and reconstructed MRI revealed the fistula tract and an urachal anomaly. The patient was treated through excision of the fistula tract. Laparotomy should be performed carefully, and the surgeon should be aware of the urachus. Inadvertent trauma to the urachus during laparotomy might cause serious unexpected complications. Possible etiologic factors for vesicocutaneous fistulae, prevention, and treatment methods are discussed.

In vitro chemosensitivity in ovarian carcinoma: Comparison of three leading assays.

OBJECTIVE An alternative approach to the current therapy of ovarian carcinoma is the individualization of treatment by determining the sensitivity of tumoral tissue to chemotherapeutic agents before the initiation of chemotherapy. The objectives of the study are to determine the efficacy of in vitro chemosensitivity assays in ovarian carcinoma and to measure the correlation of three leading assays. MATERIAL AND METHODS Fresh tumoral tissue samples of 26 newly diagnosed primary ovarian cancer patients were studied with 3-(4,5-dimeth-ylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolyum bromide (MTT) assay, adenosine triphosphate-tumor chemosensitivity assay (ATP-TCA) and differential staining cytotoxicity (DISC) assays. Chemosensitivity of tumors were studied for paclitaxel, carboplatin, docetaxel, topotecan, gemcitabine, and doxorubicin with each of the three assays. Subgroup analysis was performed for stage, grade, and histologic type. RESULTS The in vitro chemosensitivity results of MTT, ATP, and DISC assays were found to be similar. The subgroups in which in vitro assays would be more useful were encountered for patients with advanced stage and serous histology ovarian carcinoma. CONCLUSIONS In vitro chemosensitivity can be determined in ovarian carcinoma with ATP, MTT, or DISC assays before the initiation of chemotherapy. These three assays correlate well with each other and are particularly useful for serous and advanced cancers. Large prospective studies comparing standard versus assay-directed therapy with an endpoint of overall survival are required before routine clinical utilization of these assays.

Role of positron emission tomography-computed tomography in endometrial cancer

Objective: The efficacy of preoperative 18F-fluoro-D-glucose (18F-FDG) positron emission tomography-computed tomography (PET-CT) in endometrium cancer is controversial. We examined the efficacy of PET-CT and the association between maximum standardized uptake value (SUVmax) and prognostic factors in endometrial cancer. Materials and Methods: Thirty patients with endometrial cancer underwent preoperative 18F-FDG/PET-CT. The patients were treated with abdominal hysterectomy with bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy, and bilateral systemic pelvic lymphadenectomy was planned for all patients; paraaortic lymphadenectomy was performed in patients with intermediate and high risk. Tumor histology, grade, depth of myometrial invasion, maximum tumor diameter, lymphovascular invasion, nodal status, and ovarian/adnexal metastases were recorded. Results: The mean primary tumor diameter was reported smaller in PET-CT and the effect size of PET-CT was -0.60. The kappa value was 0.06 for myometrial invasion. Pelvic lymph node metastasis was reported in 22.2% of patients in PET-CT. However, 3.7% of patients had pelvic lymph node metastasis. The kappa value for pelvic lymph node metastasis was 0.23, and sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predictive values were 100%, 80.7%, 16.6%, and 100%, respectively. Paraaortic lymph node metastasis in PET-CT was suspected in 10%. However, paraaortic lymph node metastasis was found in 6.7% in histopathologic analyses. The kappa value was 0.15. The sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predictive values of PET-CT for detecting paraaortic lymph node metastases were 100%, 93.7%, 66.6%, and 100%, respectively. Myometrial invasion and tumor diameter were the only important prognostic factors affecting SUVmax. Conclusion: According to our results, PET-CT has a limited role and diagnostic efficacy in endometrial cancer. The indications of FDG/PET-CT in endometrium cancer should be studied further and revised.

Laparoscopic systemic devascularization of uterine cornu for cornual resection in interstitial pregnancy

Cornual pregnancies carry a greater maternal mortality risk than ampullary ectopic pregnancies and they may cause significant hemorrhage. A woman aged 36 years with a six-week history of amenorrhea, slight vaginal bleeding, and low abdominal pain of three days duration presented to our clinic. A diagnosis of right cornual ectopic pregnancy was made using ultrasonographic findings. Laparoscopic exploration confirmed the diagnosis. We occluded the uterine artery at its origin and also transected vessels within the mesosalpinx and uteroovarian ligament to successfully accomplish avascularization of a cornual pregnancy. Occlusion of the uterine arteries is reported to be a safe and blood-sparing technique. Severe hemorragia may occur during the operation; therefore, techniques to minimize blood loss are reported. In our case, occlusion of the uterine artery and transection of the mesosalpinx and uteroovarian vessels provided a bloodless operation and there was no need to bilaterally occlude vessels.