Jose Ignacio Pijoan

Recurrence of endometriosis in women with bilateral adnexectomy (with or without total hysterectomy) who received hormone replacement therapy

OBJECTIVE To estimate the risk of recurrence after administration of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) among women who have had endometriosis and who underwent bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy (BSO). DESIGN Prospective randomized trial (115 women receiving HRT and 57 not receiving HRT). SETTING; Public university hospital. PATIENT(S) Women with a histologic diagnosis of endometriosis in whom BSO was performed; 91.8% had a total hysterectomy. INTERVENTION(S) Periodical clinical examination, vaginal ultrasound, and CA-125 levels; surgical evaluation and histologic study. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S) Recurrence rate, prognostic factors, and a mean follow-up time of 45 months. RESULT(S) There was no recurrence among women who did not receive HRT, versus a 3.5% rate (4 out of 115), or 0.9% per year, in women who received HRT. Two recurrences required abdominal surgery. There was one additional patient who required surgery, but the relationship to the endometriosis recurrence was controversial. Among women receiving HRT, the following risk factors were detected: peritoneal involvement > 3 cm (2.4% recurrence per year vs. 0.3%) and incomplete surgery (22.2% per patient vs. 1.9%). CONCLUSION(S) Patients with a history of endometriosis in whom total hysterectomy and bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy have been performed have a low risk of recurrence when HRT is administered. In those patients, HRT is a reasonable option. However, in cases with peritoneal involvement > 3 cm, the recurrence rate makes HRT a controversial option; if HRT is indicated, it should be monitored closely.

Are there any clinical signs and symptoms that are related to endometriosis in infertile women

OBJECTIVE Our purpose was to assess the physical signs and clinical symptoms associated with endometriosis in infertile women. STUDY DESIGN This case-control study was carried out in an academic tertiary hospital. There were 174 infertile women with endometriosis and 174 infertile women without endometriosis, all of them studied by laparoscopy. Before laparoscopy a standard interview and a standard physical examination were performed. RESULTS Cul-de-sac nodularity was more frequent in infertile women with endometriosis than in infertile women without endometriosis (6.3% vs 0%). Although uterosacral tenderness was also more frequent in infertile women with endometriosis (7.5% vs 1.7%), uterosacral tenderness without nodularity was similar in both populations. Uterine retroversion and cul-de-sac obstruction frequencies were somewhat higher in the endometriosis group (p<0.10). The remaining signs and symptoms analyzed, including pelvic pain and dysmenorrhea, were similarly frequent in both populations. Symptoms were similarly frequent in all American Fertility Society stages, although adnexal mass was higher in stage IV. CONCLUSION Uterosacral nodularity was pathognomonic of endometriosis in infertile women. Uterosacral nodularity and uterosacral tenderness (associated with uterosacral nodularity) were the only symptoms or signs of value to indicate endometriosis in infertile patients. The remaining clinical signs, as well as clinical symptoms, were of no value in diagnosing endometriosis in infertile women.

Endometriosis and spontaneous abortion rate: a cohort study in infertile women

OBJECTIVE To ascertain if there is an association between endometriosis and spontaneous abortion. DESIGN Prospective cohort study. SETTING Medical School Hospital. POPULATION 174 infertile women laparoscopically diagnosed with endometriosis and 174 infertile women in which endometriosis was ruled out by laparoscopy, in the same period of time. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE Spontaneous abortion. Non-progressive gestational sac and/or histological study. RESULTS Per woman abortion rate was 7.47% (13/174) in the endometriosis group, similar to 5.74% (10/174) in the infertile women without endometriosis (RR=1.32: CI=0.53-3.36). Nor were there any differences in the per pregnancy abortion rate: 20.96% (13/62) in endometriosis vs. 16.94% (10/59) in non-endometriosis (RR=1.3; CI=0.47-3.57). The abortion rate was similar in the different AFS stages: 22.86% (8/35) in stage I, 16.67% (3/18) in II, 25% (1/4) in III and 20% (1/5) in IV. In stage I no differences were observed in patients who were managed expectantly or with medical treatment. CONCLUSION Endometriosis is not associated with an increased abortion rate. The severity of disease expressed by AFS staging is not associated with an increase in the abortion rate. In stage I the treatment of endometriosis did not decrease abortion rates.

A prospective study of the factors associated with the success rate of external cephalic version for breech presentation at term

To determine the factors associated with the success rate of external cephalic version (ECV) for breech presentation at term.

Intrauterine insemination with frozen sperm increases pregnancy rates in donor insemination cycles under gonadotropin stimulation

OBJECTIVE To compare the efficacy of IUI donor and pericervical insemination donor in frozen sperm insemination cycles under gonadotropin stimulation. DESIGN Couples where infertility was caused by male conditions were randomized into two groups: IUI and pericervical insemination. Semen samples, gonadotropin stimulation, and ovarian monitoring were the same in both groups. One IUI was performed per cycle as against two pericervical inseminations. SETTING The donor insemination program at the Human Reproduction Unit at the Hospital of Cruces, Pais Vasco University. PATIENTS Eighty-eight women (47 IUI and 41 pericervical insemination) with at least one patent fallopian tube and < 40 years of age. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE Intrauterine gestational sac observed by transvaginal ultrasound. RESULTS Per woman pregnancy rate (PR) was higher in IUI than in pericervical insemination (65.96% versus 41.46%, odds ratio [OR] = 2.73, confidence interval [CI] = 1.06 to 7.2). Pregnancy rates were always higher in IUI irrespective of woman and husbands status, but statistical significance was not reached in any subgroups analyzed independently. Per cycle PR was also significantly higher in IUI than in pericervical insemination: 24.03% (31/129) versus 11.89% (17/143) (OR = 2.34, CI = 1.17 to 4.71). Moreover, cumulative PR was higher in IUI (86% versus 49.5%) (OR = 6, CI = 1.98 to 18.80). CONCLUSION Per woman and per cycle PRs were significantly higher in IUI.

Quality of life in patients with non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer: One-year results of a multicentre prospective cohort study

OBJECTIVE Few studies describe the effect of non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC) on health-related quality of life (HRQL), although patients are mostly diagnosed at this stage of the disease. Taking into account this current evidence gap and the high incidence rates in Spain, we aimed to describe the evolution over time of HRQL in Spanish patients with NMIBC and to examine the clinical and treatment-related factors associated with HRQL change during the first year of management. METHODS AND MATERIALS Observational multicenter prospective inception cohort study conducted in urology departments of 7 Spanish hospitals. A consecutive sample of 244 patients with anatomopathologically confirmed NMIBC, recruited from October 2010 to September 2011, was followed during the diagnostic process, and 6 and 12 months later. HRQL was assessed by generic and disease-specific instruments: the Short Form-36 (covering physical and mental health) and the Bladder Cancer Index, measuring urinary, bowel, and sexual domains (summary scores: 0-100). Bivariate analysis was performed and generalized estimating equation models were constructed to assess HRQL score change. RESULTS Almost 52% of the patients were diagnosed at stage I, and 84% were men. The number of patients treated only with transurethral resection (TUR) was 144, and 82 also received intravesical therapy with bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) or mitomycin C. Mental health was significantly worse than Short Form-36 reference norms at diagnosis (mean of 49.7 vs. 53.3, 95% CI: 52.5-54.2). Urinary domain improved significantly from diagnosis (85.2, 95% CI: 82.9-87.4) to 12-month evaluation (90.2, 95% CI: 87.7-92.8), whereas sexual domain showed deterioration from 56.4 (95% CI: 52.8-59.9) to 53.7 (95% CI: 50.0-57.4). Adjusted HRQL score changes from baseline to 12-month follow-up estimated with generalized estimating equation models showed improvement on the following parameters: urinary domain after TUR with or without intravesical therapy (+3.9, 95% CI: 0.1-7.7), bowel domain among patients treated with TUR and BCG (+7.0, 95% CI: 2.4-11.5), and sexual domain among those treated with TUR and mitomycin C (+13.1, 95% CI: 5.9-20.2). CONCLUSIONS For the first time, a distinctive HRQL pattern of bladder cancer treatment benefits emerges for TUR alone, and in combination with BCG or mitomycin C, which deserves further research. Treatment differences cannot be interpreted in terms of efficacy but can be useful to generate hypotheses to test in future studies.

Infertile women with and without endometriosis: A case control study of luteal phase and other infertility conditions

Objective. To assess the relationship in infertile women between endometriosis and luteal phase defects and other infertility conditions.

Reporting quality of survival analyses in medical journals still needs improvement. A minimal requirements proposal

OBJECTIVES We reviewed publications with two main objectives: to describe how survival analyses are reported across medical journal specialties and to evaluate changes in reporting across periods and journal specialties. STUDY DESIGN AND SETTING Systematic review of clinical research articles published in 1991 and 2007, in 13 high-impact medical journals. RESULTS The number of articles performing survival analysis published in 1991 (104) and 2007 (240) doubled (17% vs. 33.5%; P = 0.000), although not uniformly across specialties. The percentage of studies using regression models and the number of patients included also increased. The presentation of results improved, although only the reporting of precision of effect estimates reached satisfactory levels (53.1% in 1991 vs. 94.2% in 2007; P = 0.000). Quality of reporting also varied across specialties; for example, cardiology articles were less likely than oncology ones to discuss sample size estimation (odds ratio = 0.12; 95% confidence interval: 0.05, 0.30). We also detected an interaction effect between period and specialty regarding the likelihood of reporting precision of curves and precision of effect estimates. CONCLUSION The application of survival analysis to medical research data is increasing, whereas improvement in reporting quality is slow. We propose a list of minimum requirements for improved application and description of survival analysis.

Spontaneous pregnancy in couples waiting for artificial insemination donor because of severe male infertility

OBJECTIVE: To assess the spontaneous fertility in couples with severe seminal conditions while waiting for artificial insemination donor. STUDY DESIGN: Prospective follow-up during a period of 24 months. SETTING: University Medical School. PARTICIPANTS: There were 285 couples in which the male had a very severe seminal pathology: 166 azoospermia, 86 oligozoospermia and 33 severe asthenozoospermia. OUTCOME MEASURES: Pregnancy rates after being included on waiting list. RESULTS: The spontaneous pregnancy rate was 3.2% (9/285), per month spontaneous pregnancy rate being 0.13%. Spontaneous pregnancy rate was 0% in azoospermia (0/166). versus 7.6% (9/119) in non-azoospermia cases. Spontaneous pregnancy rate was 8.5% (4/47) in the group with less than 0.1 million motile sperm/cc, 6.5% (3/46) in the group between 0.1 and 1 million/cc and 7.7% (2/26) in the group with 1-2 million/cc. CONCLUSION: In a 2-year follow-up, pregnancy rate among non-azoospermic couples before undergoing artificial insemination was 7.6%. Extramatrimonial pregnancy (based on anamnesis and sperm analysis) seemed to be uncommon. Even in cases with less than 0.1 million of motile sperm/cc there was not a negligible spontaneous pregnancy rate.

Clinical score for the outcome of external cephalic version: A two-phase prospective study

Aim:  To design a score based on clinical parameters to predict the outcome of external cephalic versions (ECVs) at term.