Hassan M. Elbiss

Social impact and healthcare-seeking behavior among women with urinary incontinence in the United Arab Emirates

To determine the prevalence and social impact of urinary incontinence (UI) and healthcare‐seeking behaviors among women in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

Gynaecological laparoscopy courses in the United Arab Emirates

BACKGROUND Laparoscopic surgery is important for gynaecological practice and became the method of choice for many gynaecological procedures having advantages over open surgery. OBJECTIVES To report our modified teaching methods, and evaluation of the gynaecological laparoscopy courses in United Arab Emirates. METHODS Fifty five participants attended four 3-full day comprehensive hands-on gynaecological laparoscopic skills courses. Non-expensive dry/wet models have been developed for teaching. All participants were evaluated at the end of the course through MCQs and practical laparoscopic exercises. All participants filled out a questionnaire reflecting their opinion on various aspects of the course at its completion. Ethical approval has been received by Research and Ethics Committee of Al-Ain Medical District, Al-Ain, UAE. RESULTS Fourteen participants had no laparoscopic experience, 35 had experience at level I and six had experience at level II. There was a statistically significant difference of the MCQ mark between the three levels of experience (p = 0.05, Kruskal Wallis test) but not for the practical part, p = 0.9, Kruskal Wallis test). The courses were highly valued having an overall average rating of 3.8 out of 4. CONCLUSION A multimodality non expensive course for teaching gynaecological laparoscopy was highly successful in United Arab Emirates. Models used may be useful for training gynaecological laparoscopy in developing countries. The long term effects of our courses on clinical practice have yet to be evaluated.

The management of stage III and IV endometriosis

The clinical manifestations of severe endometriosis are variable and unpredictable in both presentation and course. There are also a proportion of women with severe endometriosis who remain asymptomatic. The treatment of severe endometriosis must be individualised, taking into account the impact of the disease and treatment on pain, fertility and quality of life. Surgery is usually required and multiple organs are sometimes involved. Therefore, if endometriosis is severe, referral to a center with the expertise to offer all available treatments in a multidisciplinary team, including advanced laparoscopic surgery and laparotomy, is strongly recommended. It is also important to involve the woman in all decisions, to be flexible in diagnostic and therapeutic thinking, to maintain a good relationship with the woman and to seek advice where appropriate.

Transplacental transfer of 2-naphthol in human placenta

Objective To determine the transfer of 2-naphthol (2-NPH) in fullterm human placental tissues. Methods Six placentas were studied. The ex-vivo dual closed-loop human placental cotyledon perfusion model was used. 2-NPH was added to the perfusate in the maternal compartment. Samples were obtained from the maternal and fetal up to 360 min measuring. Results The mean fetal weight was 2880 ± 304.2 g. Mean perfused cotyledon weight was 26.3 (±5.5) g. All unperfused placental tissue samples contained NPH with a mean level of 7.98 (±1.73) μg\g compared to a mean of 15.58 (±4.53) μg\g after 360 min perfusion. A rapid drop in maternal 2-NPH concentration was observed; from 5.54 μg\g in the first 15 min and 13.8 μg\g in 360 min. The fetal side increased from 0.65 μg\g in the initial 15 min to 1.5 μg\g in 360 min. The transfer rate of NPH was much lower than that of antipyrine. Conclusion 2-NPH has the ability to rapidly across the placenta from the maternal to the fetal compartment within 15 min. The placenta seems to play a role in limiting the passage of 2-NPH in the fetal compartment.

Bowel injury following gynecological laparoscopic surgery

Background Bowel injury remains a serious complication of gynecological laparoscopic surgery. We aimed to review the literature on this topic, combined with personal experiences, so as to give recommendations on how to avoid and manage this complication. Methods We performed a narrative review on bowel injury following gynecological laparoscopic surgery using PubMed covering prevention, diagnosis, and management. Search terms used were laparoscopy, gynaecology, injury, bowel, prevention, treatment. Results Important principles of prevention include proper pre-operative evaluation and increased laparoscopic surgical skills and knowledge. High clinical suspicion is crucial for early diagnosis. Diagnostic workup of suspected cases includes serial abdominal examination, measuring inflammatory markers, and performing imaging studies including abdominal ultrasound and CT scan. When bowel injury is recognized during the first laparoscopic procedure then laparoscopic primary suturing could be tried although laparotomy may be needed. When diagnosis is delayed, then laparotomy is the treatment of choice. The role of robotic surgery and three-dimensional laparoscopic gynecological surgery on bowel injury needs to be further assessed. Conclusion Early recognition of bowel injury is crucial for a favorable clinical outcome. A combined collaboration between gynecologists and general surgeons is important for timely and proper decisions to be made.