Burcu Kisa Karakaya

Second trimester fetal nasal bone length in a low‐risk Turkish population

To define normal values of second trimester fetal nasal bone length (NBL) in a low‐risk Turkish population.

Neoadjuvant chemotherapy followed by cesarean radical hysterectomy in a triplet pregnancy complicated by clear cell carcinoma of the cervix: a case presentation and literature review.

Objective To report a triplet pregnancy complicated by clear cell cervical carcinoma that was managed using neoadjuvant chemotherapy followed by caesarean radical hysterectomy. Patient History A 26-year-old woman had a diagnosis of cervical clear cell carcinoma, which was International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics stage IB1, at 18 weeks of gestation during a triplet pregnancy. Owing to the patient’s strong desire for full-term pregnancy, 3 cycles of neoadjuvant chemotherapy was administered after magnetic resonance imaging evaluation of the tumor. The patient underwent cesarean delivery and radical hysterectomy at gestational week 32. The hysterectomy specimen revealed stage IB1 clear cell adenocarcinoma of the cervix. The neonates and the mother did not have any complications related to the treatment during 36 months of follow-up. Conclusion To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of a triplet pregnancy complicated by cervical clear cell carcinoma that was successfully treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy and cesarean radical hysterectomy. Our experience and literature review suggest that neoadjuvant chemotherapy for cervical carcinoma diagnosed during pregnancy is associated with excellent oncologic and fetal outcome; therefore, it may be considered as a temporary fertility-sparing approach in selected patients with a strong desire for full-term pregnancy. Nonetheless, additional research and long-term follow-up are needed to reach a more definitive conclusion.

To evaluate the effect of pre-pregnancy body mass index on maternal and perinatal outcomes among adolescent pregnant women.

Abstract Objective: To evaluate the effect of pre-pregnancy body mass index on maternal and perinatal outcomes among adolescent pregnant women. Methods: We conducted this prospective cross-sectional study on 365 singleton adolescent pregnancies (aged between 16 and 20 years) at a Maternity Hospital, between December 2014 and March 2015. We divided participants into two groups based on pre-pregnancy body mass index (BMI): overweight and obese adolescent (BMI at or above 25.0 kg/m) and normal weight (BMI between 18.5 and 24.99 kg/m) adolescent. We used multivariate analysis to evaluate the association of the risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes and pre-pregnancy BMI. Results: The prevalence of maternal overweight/obesity and normal weight was 34.6% (n = 80) and 65.4% (n = 261) in the study population, respectively. Compared with normal-weight teens (n = 234), overweight/obese teens (n = 71) were at higher risk for cesarean delivery (odds ratio [OR] 0.7, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.4–1.4), preeclampsia (adjusted odds ratio [OR] 0.1, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.02–0.9) and small of gestational age (odds ratio [OR] 0.2, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.1–0.9). Conclusion: BMI increased during pre-pregnancy could be an important preventable risk factor for poor obstetric complications in adolescent pregnancies, and for these patients prevention strategies (e.g., nutritional counseling, weight-loss, regular physical activity) for obesity are recommended before getting pregnant.

Alternative tumor markers in the diagnosis of ovarian cancer.

OBJECTIVES The aim of the study was to assess the usefulness of various tumor markers (CA125, HE4, bcl2) measured in serum, urine and saliva in the differential diagnosis of adnexal masses. MATERIAL AND METHODS Our study was conducted at the Başkent University Medical School, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Ankara, Turkey, between November 2010 and March 2011. Fifty patients with a suspicion of malignant adnexal mass and 30 controls were included in the study. Serum and urine CA-125, HE4, and bcl2 levels were evaluated for their role in the diagnosis of epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC). RESULTS Serum CA-125 and HE4 levels, and urine HE4 levels were significantly higher in malignant cases as compared to controls (p < 0.05). Mean levels of bcl2 in saliva and urine were similar in malignant cases and controls (p > 0.05). CONCLUSIONS We demonstrated that serum CA125, serum HE4 and urine HE4 levels were elevated in patients with ovarian cancer. These findings should be assessed in future studies with larger sample sizes in order to reach more definite conclusions.

Evaluation of Maternal and Fetal Stress Hormones During the Process of Birth

Objective: This study aims to determine whether mode of delivery is associated with the endocrine stress response in mother and newborn. Study Design: This prospective observational study was conducted with 86 women with a normal singleton pregnancy who delivered healthy infants between 37 and 41 weeks of gestation in a tertiary center. Study groups included; (1) women undergoing normal vaginal delivery with epidural anesthesia, (2) women undergoing vaginal delivery with immersion in water for pain relief during labor, (3) women delivered through elective caesarean section without labor. After delivery, thyroid stimulating hormone, cortisol, insulin, prolactin and Beta-endorphin levels were measured in maternal and umbilical cord serum and their relationships between modes of delivery were investigated. Results: It was found that the concentrations of cortisol and beta-endorphin after vaginal delivery with immersion in water group in both mothers and infants were higher than other two modes of delivery and these differences were statistically significant. Umbilical cord concentration of cortisol was the lowest in the caesarean section group. Conclusions: Maternal and fetal stress response was found to be associated with the mode of delivery and labor.

Does progesterone therapy increase nuchal translucency in women with threatened miscarriage

OBJECTIVES The effect of exogenous progesterone on fetal nuchal translucency (NT) has been proposed recently. In this study, we aimed to compare the thickness of NT of patients receiving and not receiving progesterone for threatened miscarriage. MATERIAL AND METHODS This study was designed as a retrospective comparative study. Ninety five women treated with progesterone constituted the study group whereas 97 women who were not treated with progesterone constituted the control group. An ultrasonographic examination was performed on all of the women to measure NT. All patients were treated with oral micronized progesterone in the study group. The main parameters recorded for each woman were; age, body mass index (BMI), obstetrical characteristics, and gestational age at first examination, treatment duration of progesterone therapy, and results of combined and triple tests. RESULTS A total of 192 pregnant women with threatened miscarriage were included in this study. The mean NT thickness was statistically significantly higher in the study group (p < 0.001), and mean serum level of human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) was also higher in this group (p < 0.05). There was no statistically significant difference between groups in terms of age, BMI, and gestational age at first examination. ROC curve analysis demonstrated that only increased NT (area under the curve: 0.634, p = 0.005, 95% CI: 0.541-0.727) was a discriminative factor for women receiving progesterone for threatened miscarriage. Also there was a positive correlation between NT and treatment duration (r = 0.269; p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS We think that oral progesterone therapy may increase NT depending on treatment duration without causing abnormal prenatal screening test results.

Maternal serum advanced glycation end products level as an early marker for predicting preterm labor/PPROM: a prospective preliminary study

Abstract Objective: To evaluate the value of maternal serum advanced glycation end products (AGEs) level at 11–13 weeks’ gestation for the prediction of preterm labor and or preterm premature rupture of membranes (PPROM). Materials and methods: This prospective cross-sectional study is performed in a university-affiliated hospital between February and April 2016. The participants of this study are low-risk pregnant women. Blood samples for maternal AGEs level were collected in the first trimester of pregnancy and all women completed their antenatal follow-up and delivered in our center. During the follow-up 21 women developed preterm labor/PPROM. The first trimester maternal AGEs levels of preterm labor/PPROM cases were compared with uncomplicated cases (n = 25) matched for age-parity and BMI. The predictive value of AGEs levels for preterm labor/PPROM was also assessed. Results: First-trimester AGEs levels were significantly higher in cases complicated with preterm labor/PPROM (1832 (415–6682) versus 1276 (466–6445) ng/L, p = .001 and 1722 (804–6682) versus 1343 (466–6445) ng/L, p = .025). According to receiver-operating characteristic curve analysis, the calculated cut off value of AGEs was 1538 ng/L with the sensitivity 91.7%, specificity 73.8%; and the negative and positive predictive values were 91.6% and 29.5%, respectively. Conclusions: For the prediction of preterm labor/PPROM, the relatively high AGEs levels in the first trimester might be a useful marker.

Second Trimester Urinary neutrophil gelatinase-Associated lipocalin Levels in Gestational Diabetes: preliminary results

Abstract Objective: The objective of this study is to investigate the urinary neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (uNGAL) levels in the second trimester of pregnant patients at the time of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) screening. Materials and methods: Urinary samples from 88 pregnant women who underwent gestational diabetes screening test were collected in late second trimester (24–28 weeks) prospectively. After an overnight fasting, 75 g GTT was performed. The blood samples were drawn for measurement of glucose, insulin, and HbA1c. The urinary and blood parameters were compared for pregnant women with or without gestational diabetes. Results: uNGAL levels were significantly elevated in pregnant women with gesting compared with the control groups (p < .014). There was a positive correlation between uNGAL and HbA1c levels (p = .001). Conclusions: In the second trimester, at the time of GDM screening, high levels of uNGAL indicate tubular injury in GDM cases which seems to be a result of hyperglycemia. uNGAL may correlate with an inflammatory renal involvement in GDM.

Evaluation of Probably Benign Adnexal Masses in Postmenopausal Women

Background Preoperatively identification of malignancy potential of a postmenopausal adnexal masses is important. Aim To evaluate the effectiveness of the Risk of Malignancy Index-2 in presumably benign adnexal masses in postmenopausal women. Study Design Retrospective, observational study. Methods 119 women with postmenopausal adnexal masses with a preliminary diagnosis of benign tumors according to the Risk of Malignancy Index-2 were included. Age, duration of menopause, ultrasonographic findings, and serum CA-125 levels were recorded preoperatively. The definitive diagnosis was based on postoperative histopathological examination. Results Of 119 adnexal mass, 10 were malignant and 109 were benign. There was no statistically significant difference with regard to age and tumor size between the groups. The two significant ultrasonographic parameter between groups were the presence of solid area in the mass and bilaterality. Moreover, if the cut off point for serum CA-125 was adjusted to 14.75 IU/mL according to ROC curve, a sensitivity value of 80% and a specificity value of 72% could be achieved to discriminate benign and malign cysts. Conclusion In the differential diagnosis of benign and malignant adnexal masses in postmenopausal women, the presence of a solid component, bilaterallity based on ultrasonography and high CA-125 values may be used as discriminative criteria. There is no direct relation between the size of the adnexal mass and malignancy potential. Therefore, in the malignancy indexes of postmenopausal women, we recommend lower cut-off values of CA-125 to increase the sensitivity of preoperative evaluation tests without having a great impact on negative predictive values.

Comparing neonatal respiratory morbidity in neonates delivered after 34 weeks of gestation with and without antenatal corticosteroid

Objective: To investigate the effect of antenatal corticosteroid prophylaxis on neonatal respiratory morbidity between 34 and 37 weeks of gestation. Methods: This retrospective study evaluated the neonatal respiratory complications of 683 low risk singleton pregnancies delivered at 34-37 weeks of gestation in a tertiary care center between Jan 2012 and Sept 2015. Group-I (n=294) comprised data of woman who did not receive betamethasone and Group-II(n=396) comprised those who received betamethasone after 34 weeks of gestation for cases at risk of preterm birth. Primary outcome was neonatal respiratory morbidity (NRM). NRM was defined as any respiratory disease that required medical support including supplemental oxygen, nasal continuous positive airway pressure, endotracheal intubation, or exogenous surfactant, with more than 25% oxygen for > 10 minute to maintain neonate oxygen saturation >90% Demographic characteristics, mode of delivery, fetal birth weight and neonatal respiratory complications was compared between the two groups. Results: There was no statistically significant difference for neonatal respiratory morbidity development rate between patients who received betamethasone or those who did not receive it. The incidence of neonatal respiratory morbidity was similar (15.3% in the control group and 14.9% in the intervention group; p=0.88). Conclusion: We found no improvement with betamethasone administration empirically in late preterm birth as regards prevention of Neonatal Respiratory Morbidity(NRM).