Giancarlo Tisi

HPV vaccination acceptability in young boys

PURPOSE The aim of this study was to evaluate the comprehension and acceptance of HPV vaccination in parents of adolescent boys aged 11 to 15 years. METHODS A cross-sectional survey was conducted by means of questionnaires sent directly to the homes of all families with young males aged between 11 and 15, residents of three municipalities of the Province of Brescia, Italy. The documentation also contained an informative leaflet summarizing the HPV-related disease characteristics, the burden of disease and the available strategies for prevention and treatment, illustrating the rationale of vaccination and describing the project and its phases. The questionnaire included questions on demographic data, acceptance and motivations for HPV vaccination. The collected data was analyzed using descriptive statistics. At the end of the study, parents who received the questionnaires were also offered the possibility of vaccinating their male sons for free. RESULTS From a total of 1072 questionnaires sent, 161 where returned from the three selected municipalities (average response rate 15%); 97% of adolescent males involved in the study were Italian and 91% Catholic; 97% of parents declared themselves to be willing to vaccinate their sons: the principal motivation given (92%) was prevention of the disease, cancerous or not, related to viral infection. Among the respondents not willing to vaccinate their sons, the motivation was lack of information about the vaccine and the disease. At the end of the study, around 71 boys were vaccinated. DISCUSSION To our knowledge, this is the first survey in Italy exclusively conducted on parents of adolescent males about the acceptability and feasibility of vaccination against HPV: a very high percentage of respondents was favorable to accept the vaccination for their sons, the main motivation being the fact that parents considered protecting their sons from HPV-related diseases highly important. Of the 161 boys targeted by the questionnaire, 71 decided to receive the 3 doses of HPV vaccination (44%). Data suggests that HPV vaccination is acceptable to families for their male sons and that information is important in the decision-making process.

Adnexal torsion with normal ovary in the third trimester of a twin pregnancy: Case report and literature review

Management of adnexal torsion in a dichorionic diamniotic pregnancy at 32 weeks is presented. Adnexal torsion is a rare condition in pregnancy, particularly during late third trimester and with normal ovary and tube. The size of a twin uterus at late third trimester prevented a laparoscopic approach. A longitudinal laparotomic incision below the umbilicus permitted detorsion and fixation of the adnexa. To our knowledge, this is the first case reported in a late twin pregnancy.

I322 RESOLVING THE CONTROVERSY: LOCALLY ADVANCED CERVICAL CANCER. PRIMARY RADIO-CHEMOTHERAPY

Background: The purpose of this study was to review our experience and the challenges of using the da Vinci surgical system robot during gynecological surgery at King Abdulaziz University Hospital. Methods: A retrospective study was conducted to review all cases of robot-assisted gynecologic surgery performed at our institution between January 2008 and December 2010. The patients were reviewed for indications, complications, length of hospital stay, and conversion rate, as well as console and docking times. Results: Over the three-year period, we operated on 35 patients with benign or malignant conditions using the robot for a total of 62 surgical procedures. The docking times averaged seven minutes. The mean console times for simple hysterectomy, bilateral salpingooophorectomy, and bilateral pelvic lymphadenectomy were 125, 47, and 62 minutes, respectively. In four patients, laparoscopic procedures were converted to open procedures, giving a conversion rate of 6.5%. All of the conversions were among the first 15 procedures performed. The average hospital stay was 3 days. Complications occurred in five patients (14%), and none were directly related to the robotic system. Conclusion: Our early experience with the robot show that with proper training of the robotic team, technical difficulty with the robotic system is limited. There is definitely a learning curve that requires performance of gynecological surgical procedures using the robot.

Clinical Approach to Adnexal Disease

The diagnostic-instrumental finding of an alteration to the adnexal region occurs in 1.5–2% of females over 40 years of age and poses a complex problem of differential diagnosis. Correct identification of the condition is crucial for the appropriate clinical management of the disease.