Jakob Eberhard

Tape functionality: sonographic tape characteristics and outcome after TVT incontinence surgery.

To investigate tension‐free vaginal tape (TVT) position and shape using ultrasound (US) and correlate the findings to outcome.

Waterbirths: a comparative study. A prospective study on more than 2,000 waterbirths.

Background: Waterbirths were introduced in 1991 as part of a new birth concept which consisted of careful monitoring and birth management, restrictive use of invasive methods and free choice of different birth methods. Methods: After the introduction of this new birth concept a prospective observational study was initiated. All parturients of the region give birth in our clinic without preselection, ours being the only birth clinic of the region. 2% of the parturients will be referred to a larger birth clinic (university clinic) mainly because of preterm births before the end of the 33rd week of pregnancy. Every one of the 7,508 births between November 1991, and May 21, 1997, was analyzed. In this article the birth parameters of mother and child in the most often chosen spontaneous birth methods will be compared to assess the safety of alternative birth methods in general and of waterbirths in particular. 2,014 of these 5,953 spontaneous births were waterbirths, 1,108 were Maia-birthing stool births and 2,362 bedbirths (vacuum extractions not included). Results: The parity and age of the mother as well as the newborn’s birth weight are comparable in all 3 groups: waterbirth, Maia-birthing stool, and bedbirths. An episiotomy was performed in only 12.8% of the births in water, in 27.7% of the births on the Maia-birthing stool and in 35.4% of the bedbirths. These differences are statistically significant. In spite of the highest episiotomy rates, the bedbirths also show the highest 3rd- and 4th-degree laceration rates (4.1%), thus the difference between the rates for bedbirths and alternative births methods for severe lacerations is significant. The mothers’ blood loss is the lowest in waterbirths. Fewer painkillers are used in waterbirths and the experience of birth itself is more satisfying after a birth in water. The average arterial blood pH of the umbilical cord as well as the Apgar scoring at 5 and 10 min are significantly higher after waterbirths. Infections of the neonate do not occur more often after waterbirths. No case of water aspiration or any other perinatal complication of the mother or child which might be water-related was reported. Conclusion: Waterbirths and other alternative forms of birthing such as Maia-birthing stool do not demonstrate higher birth risks for the mother or the child than bedbirths if the same medical criteria are used in the monitoring as well as in the management of birth.

Gene expression profile of bladder tissue of patients with ulcerative interstitial cystitis

BackgroundInterstitial cystitis (IC), a chronic bladder disease with an increasing incidence, is diagnosed using subjective symptoms in combination with cystoscopic and histological evidence. By cystoscopic examination, IC can be classified into an ulcerative and a non-ulcerative subtype. To better understand this debilitating disease on a molecular level, a comparative gene expression profile of bladder biopsies from patients with ulcerative IC and control patients has been performed.ResultsGene expression profiles from bladder biopsies of five patients with ulcerative IC and six control patients were generated using Affymetrix GeneChip expression arrays (Affymetrix – GeneChip® Human Genome U133 Plus 2.0). More than 31,000 of > 54,000 tested probe sets were present (detection p-value < 0.05). The difference between the two groups was significant for over 3,500 signals (t-test p-value < 0.01), and approximately 2,000 of the signals (corresponding to approximately 1,000 genes) showed an IC-to-healthy expression ratio greater than two. The IC pattern had similarities to patterns from immune system, lymphatic, and autoimmune diseases. The dominant biological processes were the immune and inflammatory responses. Many of the up-regulated genes were expressed in leukocytes, suggesting that leukocyte invasion into the bladder wall is a dominant feature of ulcerative IC. Histopathological data supported these findings.ConclusionGeneChip expression arrays present a global picture of ulcerative IC and provide us with a series of marker genes characteristic for this subtype of the disease. Evaluation of biopsies from other bladder patients with similar symptoms (e.g. patients with non-ulcerative IC) will further indicate whether the data presented here will be valuable for the diagnosis of IC.

Ultrasound and Early Tape Mobilization—A Practical Solution for Treating Postoperative Voiding Dysfunction

This study assessed the effectiveness of ultrasound in determining tape distance to urethra and the impact of early tape mobilization on outcomes in women with postoperative voiding dysfunction resulting from a too tightly positioned tension‐free vaginal tape (TVT).

Are Mast Cells Still Good Biomarkers for Bladder Pain Syndrome/Interstitial Cystitis?

PURPOSE ESSIC identifies mast cell infiltrates of detrusor muscle as a diagnostic criterion for bladder pain syndrome/interstitial cystitis. However, an increased mast cell count is also characteristic of overactive bladder syndrome. The lack of uniformity in mast cell detection methods hampers data comparison. Using state-of-the-art techniques we investigated whether mast cells differ among bladder conditions. MATERIALS AND METHODS We analyzed bladder biopsies from 56 patients, including 31 with bladder pain syndrome/interstitial cystitis with (12) or without (19) Hunner lesions, 13 with overactive bladder syndrome and 12 without bladder symptoms to determine the quantity, location, distribution and activation of mast cells using immunohistochemistry with anti-mast cell tryptase. Patients were allocated to study groups by key bladder symptoms commonly used to define conditions (pain and major urgency). RESULTS Subepithelial mast cell localization (p <0.001) and an increased detrusor mast cell count (p = 0.029) were characteristic of bladder pain syndrome/interstitial cystitis with Hunner lesions. The optimal cutoff of 32 detrusor mast cells per mm(2) achieved only 68% accuracy with 38% positive predictive value. No difference was observed between bladder pain syndrome/interstitial cystitis without Hunner lesions and overactive bladder syndrome. Patient groups differed in lymphocyte infiltration (p = 0.001), nodular lymphocyte aggregates (p <0.001) and urothelium integrity (p <0.001). CONCLUSIONS Subepithelial mast cell distribution was characteristic of bladder pain syndrome/interstitial cystitis with Hunner lesions. Detrusor mastocytosis had poor predictive value for bladder pain syndrome/interstitial cystitis. Mast cell assessment did not distinguish bladder pain syndrome/interstitial cystitis without Hunner lesions from overactive bladder syndrome.

Local immune response in bladder pain syndrome/interstitial cystitis ESSIC type 3C

Introduction and hypothesisBladder pain syndrome/interstitial cystitis (BPS/IC) is identified based on subjective symptoms which lead to heterogeneous patient populations. Previous studies using gene expression arrays for BPS/IC with Hunner’s lesions [European Society for the Study of Interstitial Cystitis (ESSIC) type 3C], a subtype of the condition discernible by cystoscopy, have revealed characteristic immune responses and urothelial abnormalities. This current study aimed to further characterize this subtype using a gene expression panel. We hypothesized that B-cell activation with high levels of urinary antibody concentration would be found.MethodsCold-cup bladder biopsies, catheterized urine and blood were collected from 15 BPS/IC ESSIC type 3C patients, 11 non-inflammatory overactive bladder (OAB) patients and eight healthy controls. Gene expression in biopsies was quantified by real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR), immunohistochemistry was performed on bladder tissue and urinary immunoglobulins G and A were quantified by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Statistical analyses included the Kruskal-Wallis test for non-parametric data and post hoc tests identified differences between groups.ResultsHigh expression of T- and B-cell markers (CTLA4, CD20, CD79A, IGH@), low expression of urothelial markers (KRT20, UPK1B, UPK3A), focal lymphoid aggregates in the submucosa and high immunoglobulin concentration in urine were found exclusively in BPS/IC ESSIC type 3C patients. Results for OAB were in intermediate ranges between the other two groups and UPK1B even reached significantly lower expression when compared to healthy controls.ConclusionsBPS/IC ESSIC type 3C is characterized by a local adaptive immune response with elevated urinary antibody concentrations. Quantification of urinary immunoglobulin levels could be used for a non-invasive diagnosis of BPS/IC ESSIC type 3C.

Influence of Alternative Birth Methods on Traditional Birth Management

Background: Because of popular demand for more natural childbirth, a new concept was introduced in 1991 in our clinic. It consisted of careful monitoring and birth management, restrictive use of invasive methods, and free choice of different birth methods including waterbirths and other alternative birth methods. Our aim was to determine the influence of our new birth concept on the way women give birth and on the birth management in our clinic. Methods: In a total of 9,418 births between 1991 and 1997 [new birth concept KSF (KSF = Kantonsspital Frauenfeld)], the changing pattern of birth methods and birth management in our clinic under the influence of the new birth concept were analysed. The results were compared to a historical group in our clinic, a total of 5,602 births from 1986 to 1990, and to data from a contemporary group from Swiss clinics, a total of 344,328 births from 1986 to 1997. Findings: Our study shows that alternative birth methods are very popular. The waterbirth rates have risen steadily and stabilized at around 40–50% of the spontaneous births. The Maia-birthing stool births rates reached a peak of popularity in 1993 (23%) 5 years after their introduction, dropping again to 10% of the spontaneous births. The bedbirth rates have stabilized at around 40% of the spontaneous births. Other birth methods such as standing, supported by a rope, on the mat or on all fours are much less popular. The impact of our new birth concept on different aspects of birth management differs greatly from one to another. The episiotomy rate has dropped from a previous rate higher than 80% to a rate lower than 15%. The caesarean section rate in our clinic (around 10%) has remained substantially below the Swiss average (around 15%). The rate of the spinal and epidural analgesia was maintained at a constant level, around 13%, while the Swiss average rates doubled and reached 23% in 1997. The induction and amniotomy rates as well as the use of oxytocin were not influenced by the new birth concept and are comparable to the Swiss average. Conclusion: Alternative birth methods and in particular waterbirths are very sought after. This popular pressure insisting upon less invasive, more natural birth management can be well integrated into the security-oriented way of thinking of classical medicine. In our clinic the general trend towards more invasive measures in birth management could be countered by the introduction of a new birth concept with alternative birth methods.

Do different vaginal tapes need different suburethral incisions? The one-half rule

Despite a wide array of vaginal tapes to treat stress urinary incontinence (SUI), evidence suggesting that both patient characteristics and tape positioning influence outcomes, and differing tape insertion pathways (retropubic vs. transobturator), it remains unclear if the same incision location is effective for all tapes. The aim of the study was to compare outcomes using two different surgical incision locations when inserting a transobturator vaginal tape (TOT) to treat SUI.

Third trimester plasma neurokinin B levels in women with and without preeclampsia

Objective. This study was undertaken to measure neurokinin B (NKB) levels in pregnant women with and without preeclampsia (PE) in the third trimester. The study focused on the Black (sub-Saharan ancestry) and ‘mixed ancestry’ (synonymous with ‘colored’ and denotes an established race group of Khoisan, European, Malay, Malagascan, African, and South Indian ancestry) populations, constituting the majority of inhabitants of the Western Cape Province of South Africa. Methods. Questionnaires were used to obtain clinical data from pregnant ‘mixed ancestry’ and Black women. Third trimester plasma NKB levels were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay technique (EIA) in 72 pregnant women with PE and in 94 healthy women. The EIA results were then correlated with clinical data. Results. The mean NKB concentration in the PE groups (23.5 ng/L for ‘mixed ancestry’ and 15.0 ng/L for Black women) was significantly higher than in the control groups (3.8 ng/L and 4.4 ng/L, respectively; p ≤ 0.001). No significant differences in maternal clinical data were found between the diseased groups. Conclusions. Using the EIA technique, this study confirms previous reports of elevated NKB levels in the plasma of PE women in the third trimester. Whether increased NKB levels are causative or merely associated with PE remains unknown, as do the causative molecular mechanisms. Future longitudinal studies are certainly needed to further elucidate the predictive value of NKB in PE.

Erfahrung mit der Unterwassergeburt

Die Frauenfelder Geburtenstudie, eine prospektive Beobachtungsstudie seit 1991, untersucht, ob die Gebärmethode – insbesondere die Wassergeburt – einen Einfluss auf kindliche und mütterliche Morbidität und Mortalität hat. Verglichen werden 3617 Wassergeburten mit 5901 Landgeburten. Mittels Fragebogen wurden alle Daten zu Mutter und Kind erhoben. Die Auswertung der Resultate zeigt, dass Wassergeburten genau so sicher sind wie Landgeburten, wenn geburtsmedizinische Richtlinien beachtet werden. Risiken wie Präeklampsie, Infekte, mekoniumhaltiges Fruchtwasser und pathologisches CTG finden sich häufiger bei Landgeburten und sind Ausdruck einer unter der Geburt sicheren, prospektiven Geburtsleitung durch das Gebärsaalteam.