János Sikovanyecz

Can a Brief Antepartum Preventive Group Intervention Help Reduce Postpartum Depressive Symptomatology

Background: Psychosocial and psychological interventions are generally effective in reducing depressive symptomatology in the postpartum period. Our aim was to evaluate the effectiveness of a brief preventive group intervention for postpartum depression (PPD) in a naturalistic setting, and study the effect of this on social and psychological risk factors. Methods: We conducted a randomized controlled trial (n = 1,719) in south-eastern Hungary in 62 antepartum centers. Pregnant women (n = 710) underwent a 4-session preventive group intervention whereas a control group (n = 1,009) attended 4 sessions providing the same information given in usual care. Results: Our intervention appeared to significantly reduce the risk of PPD, as defined by Leverton Questionnaire total scores (OR = 0.69). It resulted in an absolute risk reduction of about 18% in those with antepartum depression and 0.5% in those with no depression at recruitment. A multiple logistic regression analysis revealed a much reduced risk in those with a perceived lack of partner support (OR = 0.4) in the treatment group. Unplanned pregnancy, an irreversible risk factor affecting every fifth woman, also seemed to have a reduced effect on PPD after our group intervention (OR = 0.81). Conclusions: A brief preventive antepartum group intervention focusing on psychoeducation, stress management, improving coping mechanisms, and the development of social support can be effective in reducing postpartum depressive symptomatology.

The Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale: Translation and antepartum validation for a Hungarian sample

OBJECTIVE the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) is an important screening instrument routinely used during the peripartum period for the identification of depression. The purpose of the study was to assess the validity of the 10-item EPDS in screening for antepartum depression (APD) in Hungary. DESIGN validation study carried out between July and December 2010. SETTING Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Szeged, Hungary. PARTICIPANTS 219 women attending a routine check-up at 12 weeks antepartum. INTERVENTIONS participants completed the newly translated Hungarian version of the EPDS and underwent a clinical assessment with the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV disorders (SCID-I). MEASUREMENT AND FINDINGS seven (3.2%) of the mothers were diagnosed with major antepartum depression and 15 persons (6.85%) with minor depression on the basis of the SCID. Internal consistency of the EPDS was satisfactory (Cronbach α coefficients ≥0.728). The best cut-off on the Hungarian version of the EPDS for major depression was 8/9, with a sensitivity of 71.4%, and a specificity of 91.5%. The area under the ROC curve was found significant for combined depression as well and at a cut-off of 6/7 indicated a sensitivity of 81.8% and a specificity of 83.2%. KEY CONCLUSIONS the EPDS showed acceptable validity despite a considerable scatter in the total scores in our sample. IMPLICATION FOR PRACTICE the EPDS is a reliable instrument for the screening of depressive disorders, especially major depressive disorder in early pregnancy among Hungarian women.

Leiden mutation, bed rest and infection: Simultaneous triggers for maternal deep-vein thrombosis and neonatal intracranial hemorrhage?

The possible etiologic roles of infection and bed rest are discussed in connection with a case of maternal homozygous Leiden mutation leading to prematurity, maternal deep-vein thrombosis and neonatal intracranial hemorrhage in a heterozygous premature baby. Maternal bacterial infection and bed rest may trigger deep-vein femoral thrombosis in women with a homozygous Leiden mutation on tocolytic therapy for the treatment of premature labor. The neonate carrying at least one mutated allele of factor V Leiden might be at risk for the development of intracranial hemorrhage.

Severe midtrimester oligohydramnios: treatment strategies.

Purpose of review Nearly 1% of pregnancies are affected by some type of midtrimester oligohydramnios. Evidence is currently accumulating that suggests the better efficacy of the new therapeutic procedures relative to conventional management. This review summarizes the available evidence. Recent findings The prolongation of the period between the diagnosis of oligohydramnios and delivery following amnioinfusion and amniopatch techniques appears to be strongly associated with the gestational age and whether the situation was based on rupture of the membranes or not. Case series reveal that amnioinfusion significantly improves the perinatal outcome and prolongs the pregnancy in severe second-trimester oligohydramnios in both idiopathic cases and those involving rupture of the amniotic membranes [preterm prelabor rupture of the membranes (PPROM)]. There is clear evidence of a lower frequency of perinatal complications and successfully prolonged gestation in iatrogenic PPROM after the amniopatch technique relative to population controls. Summary Identification of potentially modifiable risk factors for the successful prolongation of pregnancy complicated with midtrimester oligohydramnios, and previable PPROM is needed for the improvement of treatment strategies and prognosis. Randomized trials are needed to determine whether amniotic fluid-replenishing strategies can improve pregnancy outcomes.

Fetomaternal Transfusion and Pregnancy Outcome after Cordocentesis

Objective: To study the extent of fetomaternal transfusion and the outcome of pregnancy after cordocentesis. Material and Methods: 268 women underwent percutaneous fetal umbilical cord blood sampling for fetal karyotyping between 15 and 26 gestations of weeks. Complete follow-up was available in 221 (82.5%) of the cases. Cordocentesis was performed under continuous real-time ultrasound guidance. The duration of the procedure and the post-procedural bleeding time was counted in seconds. Fetomaternal transfusion was calculated by using the measurements of the maternal serum levels of α-fetoprotein before and after the procedure. The data were analyzed by Student’s t and multiple regression tests. Results: The maximum and mean amounts of fetomaternal transfusion were 1.067 and 0.061 ml, respectively. Twenty percent or more α-fetoprotein elevation was in 35.4% of the cases. Positive correlation was found between bleeding time after cordocentesis and fetomaternal transfusion (r = 0.174, p < 0.0129) as well as between the duration of the procedure (r = 0.165, p < 0.0171) and the amount of fetomaternal transfusion. Comparing the cordocentesis at the placental insertion site and at the free cord loop, a smaller amount of fetomaternal transfusion was observed (p < 0.0123) in the latter. Transplacental passage was associated with a higher amount of fetomaternal transfusion (p < 0.0067). No association was found between the extent of fetomaternal transfusion and the outcome of pregnancy. The fetal loss related to the cordocentesis was 0.50%. Conclusions: The extent of fetomaternal transfusion was influenced by the subsequent four parameters: procedural time, bleeding time, puncture site and transplacental penetration. The lack of the association between the degree of fetomaternal transfusion and the outcome of pregnancy, along with the low (0.50%) post-procedural fetal loss rate, suggest that cordocentesis is clinically a safe procedure.

Management of severe idiopathic oligohydramnios: is antepartum transabdominal amnioinfusion really a treatment option?

Objective: The aim of this study was an evaluation of the role of antepartum transabdominal amnioinfusion (APTA) in the management of severe idiopathic oligohydramnios with a view to improving the pregnancy outcome. Methods: The study comprised an analysis of 20 pregnant women with severe oligohydramnios who were treated with APTA in 2009 and 2012. The pregnancy outcomes and the complications of the procedure were analysed. Results: The mean gestational age at first treatment was 22 weeks 3 days. The preprocedure amniotic fluid index of <5 cm was restored by the treatment to 8 cm. More than a half of the pregnancies (66.7%, 8/12) treated with APTA finished with spontaneous abortion in the second trimester, mostly due to rupture of the membranes (as a consequence of retroamniotic filling with saline in four cases). The later the oligohydramnios developed, the higher the probability of a significant prolongation of the gestation. Conclusions: Although APTA is a useful procedure in the management of severe oligohydramnios, it may be followed by a relatively high rate of rupture of the membranes, particularly in the second trimester. Paradoxically, a higher volume of infused saline into the amniotic cavity is associated with a significantly lower risk of rupture.

Validation of the Leverton Questionnaire as a screening tool for postnatal depression in Hungary

OBJECTIVE To assess the validity of the 24-item Leverton Questionnaire (LQ) in screening for postnatal depression (PND). METHOD A two-phase, cross-sectional study was designed. Between January and October 2006, a sample of 1552 women attending a routine postnatal check-up at 6 weeks postpartum completed the LQ in southeast Hungary. On the basis of the LQ total score, the participants were stratified and randomly selected within each stratum for clinical evaluation (Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV). Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analyses were used to examine the sensitivity and specificity of the LQ to detect PND. RESULTS The best cut-off on the Hungarian version of the LQ for PND was 11/12, with a sensitivity of 88.0%, and a specificity of 94.4%, and a positive predictive value of 53.1%. Internal consistency was satisfactory (Cronbach alpha coefficients > or = 0.753). The sensitivity of the modified Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) in detecting PND was 86.2% and the specificity 90.4%. Although the BDI performed slightly better than the LQ in distinguishing between minor and major depression, both psychometric scales showed satisfactory screening performance. CONCLUSIONS Our data confirm the validity of the Hungarian version of the LQ reliably to identify PND. We propose a cut-off of 11/12 for screening purposes for PND, the range of 11-14 for detecting minor depression and regarding a total score of 15 points or above as indicative of major depression.

Nasal bone length:prenasal thickness ratio: a strong 2D ultrasound marker for Down syndrome

To evaluate the feasibility of incorporating two‐dimensional ultrasound measurements of nasal bone length (NBL) and prenasal thickness (PT) into the second‐trimester anomaly scan and to determine whether the NBL : PT ratio could help in differentiating euploid and Down syndrome fetuses.

Determinants of emergency contraceptive use after unprotected intercourse: Who seeks emergency contraception and who seeks abortion?

Objective. To compare differences in contraceptive characteristics and the knowledge of emergency contraception (EC) between women who used EC after unprotected intercourse and those who sought abortion. Design. A questionnaire survey. Setting. A Hungarian university hospital. Sample. Two large clinical groups were enrolled: women who were prescribed EC after unprotected intercourse (n= 952) (EC group) and women who presented for termination of pregnancy who had not taken EC after a contraceptive failure despite being suitable candidates to take EC (n= 577) (control group). Methods. Questionnaire evaluation. Main outcome measures. Knowledge concerning, previous use of, and other factors related to EC use. Results. The EC group experienced a condom failure significantly more often (odds ratio (OR) = 3.07), while the control group reported more failures with the contraceptive pill (OR = 0.69) and with periodic abstinence (OR = 0.09). Use of EC depended on age, education level, place of residence, accurate knowledge of EC (OR = 3.87) and previous EC use (OR = 1.16). Awareness of EC was influenced by information obtained from healthcare providers (OR = 3.63) or by school education (OR = 1.28). Conclusions. Women who use less reliable contraceptive methods should be targeted for health education that stresses the importance of reliable contraception and provides more detailed knowledge on EC and when it should be used.

Predictive model of repeat induced abortion in Hungary

BackgroundContraceptive and sociodemographic risks of repeat induced abortion have not yet been interpreted in Central Eastern Europe.MethodsA consecutive series of women requesting initial (n=647) or repeat (n=553) artificial abortion were surveyed by means of a questionnaire at a Hungarian university teaching hospital in Szeged, in 2005 and 2006. Self-reported demographic characteristics, attitudes and habits regarding contraceptives were assessed as potential correlates of repeat induced abortion in multivariate logistic regression.ResultsReliable contraceptive methods were applied slightly less frequently in case of repeat versus first abortion seekers (21.0% vs. 20.1%, P=0.72, [odds ratio (OR) = 1.06, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.80–1.40]). Adjusted odds ratios (AORs) for undergoing repeat versus first abortion increased significantly with age (1.10, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.07–1.14), more children (AOR: 2.66, 95% CI: 1.57–4.50), secondary education compared to the tertiary level (AOR: 1.15, 95% CI: 1.08–1.30). A better knowledge of the fertile period of the menstrual cycle was present among women who had had previous abortion (AOR=2.05, 95% CI 1.37–3.05).ConclusionsAttitude improvement towards modern contraception and promotion of knowledge of correct use of contraceptives among women with reproductive ages may lead to the prevention of recurrent abortion more effectively. EC: emergency contraceptive pill; NS: not significant