Tiziano Motta

Pregnancy outcome after cabergoline treatment in early weeks of gestation

We collected information on 61 pregnancies in 50 women treated with cabergoline. These pregnancies resulted in 12 (19.7%) early terminations (five induced abortions, six spontaneous abortions, one hydatidiform mole) and 49 (80.3%) live births. In one case, malformations were suspected by a gynecologist based on ultrasound at 12 gestational weeks and the pregnancy was terminated; additional information was not available. There was one case of trisomy 18. The frequency of spontaneous and induced abortions and major congenital malformations was comparable with rates in the general population. The data did not indicate any potential adverse effect of the drug on pregnancy. The data from this study in combination with previous reports can exclude a congenital malformation risk greater than 10% associated with pregnancy exposure to cabergoline.

Atrial Natriuretic Peptide and Hemodynamic Changes During Normal Human Pregnancy

We compared plasma atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) and cGMP levels during normal pregnancy--a condition characterized by hypervolemia, high cardiac output, and decreased vascular resistance--with postpartum levels and assessed their relation to pregnancy-induced hemodynamic changes. Humoral and hemodynamic variables were measured in healthy women subjects in the supine and upright postures at each trimester of pregnancy and postpartum. Supine plasma ANP was increased throughout pregnancy (32 +/- 5, 21 +/- 3, and 19 +/- 2 versus 15 +/- 1 pmol.L-1, respectively, at each trimester versus postpartum), as was cGMP (8.6 +/- 1, 7.1 +/- 1, and 6.6 +/- 1 versus 5.6 +/- 1 nmol.L-1), and their increments were directly related (r = .68, P < .01). Both ANP and cGMP levels did not differ from postpartum levels after subjects stood. Supine stroke volume was initially increased but declined below postpartum levels in late pregnancy (69 +/- 4, 60 +/- 3, and 44 +/- 3 versus 58 +/- 4 mL.m-2), whereas after subjects stood it was always higher (56 +/- 3, 58 +/- 3, and 49 +/- 2 versus 44 +/- 2 mL.m-2); thus, stroke volume tended to increase in response to standing in late pregnancy. Supine cardiac index had a similar trend, which was opposite to that of total peripheral resistance (1213 +/- 62, 1265 +/- 79, and 1729 +/- 89 versus 1654 +/- 92 dyne.s-1.cm-5.m-2).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Two-year treatment with oral contraceptives in hyperprolactinemic patients.

The aim of this prospective study was the follow-up for 2 years in symptoms, serum prolactin (PRL) levels, and radiological aspects of a group of young patients using oral contraceptives (OC) with hyperprolactinemia. A total of 16 hyperprolactinemic women (eight with idiopathic hyperprolactinemia and eight with pituitary microadenoma) who started OC use were admitted in the study. After 2 years of OC use, the assessable patients showed a nonsignificant decrease in plasma PRL level (26.8 +/- 29.4 micrograms/mL, range 4.2-97.1 micrograms/mL vs 56.3 +/- 31.5 micrograms/mL, range 23.5-144 micrograms/mL). No patient experienced any radiological changes during OC treatment. In conclusion, although the number of observations is limited, the data suggest that after 2 years of follow-up, no harmful effect of OC use was observed in these patients.

Vaginal cabergoline * in the treatment of hyperprolactinemic patients intolerant to oral dopaminergics

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the effectiveness and tolerance of vaginal cabergoline in hyperprolactinemic patients intolerant to oral dopaminergics. DESIGN Case reports. SETTING University hospital endocrinological outpatient clinic. PATIENTS A 35-year-old primipara woman with idiopathic hyperprolactinemia and a 22-year-old female with primary amenorrhea harboring macroprolactinoma. INTERVENTIONS Treatment with vaginal cabergoline (0.5 mg two and five times a week). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES The serum PRL levels and side effects were assessed before and during treatment. RESULTS A single vaginal dose of 0.5 mg cabergoline reduced serum PRL levels by approximately 50% to 85% of basal values over a period of 4 to 5 hours. In the patients with idiopathic hyperprolactinemia, serum PRL levels normalized during long-term treatment, whereas in the one with macroprolactinoma they remained above the normal values (79 ng/mL [conversion factor to SI unit, 3.180]) despite resumption of menses and marked tumor shrinkage (70% reduction). No side effects were reported. CONCLUSIONS Vaginal cabergoline is a safe and effective method of therapy for hyperprolactinemia and it avoids the adverse events of oral administration.

An Open Randomized Comparative Study of an Oral Contraceptive Containing Ethinyl Estradiol and Cyproterone Acetate with and without the GnRH Analogue Goserelin in the Long-Term Treatment of Hirsutism

A multicenter randomized study was carried out to compare the efficacy of combined therapy with a GnRH analog (goserelin) + an oral contraceptive (OC) containing ethinyl estradiol and cyproterone acetate and same OC alone in the treatment of severe hirsutism. The effect of these two therapies was assessed in a subjective and an objective evaluation of hair growth. According to the subjective evaluation, judged by physician and patient. 95% of patients obtained a partial response. The objective response was assessed by measuring the mean diameter of hair from 3 different areas and 1 control area. The decrease in hair diameter compared to pretreatment was statistically significant for both treatments, mainly for the abdomen and face. The difference between the two groups did not reach statistical significance. Therefore, we assume that OC alone remains the treatment of choice for hirsutism. However, the addition of the GnRH analog to OC needs further investigation and could be justified for patients with no response to standard monotherapy.

Increased Forearm Bone Mineral Content after Bromocriptine Treatment in Hyperprolactinemia

SummaryWe studied 15 hyperprolactinemic women to evaluate possible modifications of bone mineral content after pharmacological treatment. Patients received a dopamine agonist (bromocriptine) for six months after which there was a significant decrease of prolactin plasma levels (P<0.01) and a significant increase of bone mineral content (F<0.05)

Cabergoline versus Bromocriptine in Suppression of Lactation after Cesarean Delivery

We evaluated the efficacy of cabergoline, a new ergoline derivative, in blocking puerperal lactation in a group of women delivered by cesarean section. In a single-blind controlled trial 36 women were randomly allocated to treatment with cabergoline 1 mg in a single dose p.o. (n = 18) or bromocriptine 5 mg/day p.o. for 14 days (n = 18). Treatment was started about 50 h after delivery. Clinical assessment of breast signs and determination of serum prolactin were performed just before treatment and at 3, 5, 7 and 14 days. In the cabergoline-treated group milk secretion was inhibited in 17 women (94.4%). Maximum decrease of serum prolactin was -89.7% at 5 days, and the prolactin-lowering effect of cabergoline was still present at 14 days. In the bromocriptine group milk secretion was inhibited in 16 women (88.9%). Maximum prolactin decrease (-86.9%) was reached at 3 days. Persistent side effects were comparable in the two groups. This study demonstrates that a single oral dose of 1 mg cabergoline is as effective in suppressing puerperal lactation as a full treatment with bromocriptine, even in women delivered by cesarean section.

Successive transperitoneal migration of ova in a woman with extensive pelvic adhesions

Our case report describes three conceptions after transperitoneal migration of the ovum in a woman with only one ovary, the contralateral oviduct, and extensive postoperative pelvic adhesions obliterating the Douglas cul-de-sac. This suggests that anatomic integrity of the pelvis is not always essential for ovum pick-up.

Evaluation of Histological and Ultrastructural Aspects of Endometrium During Treatment with Gestrinone in Women with Amenora or Spotting

Nineteen patients with a laparoscopic diagnosis of endometriosis were treated with gestrinone at a dosage of 2.5 mg twice a week for 6 months. In 7 who reported spotting in the first 3 months, the dose was increased to 2.5 mg three times a week during the second trimester. An endometrial sample was obtained from each patient at the time of laparoscopy (basal) and at 3 and 6 months of treatment. Endometrial structure and ultrastructure were studied. Areas of hemorrhage and of loss of surface epithelium and a lesser degree of involution of the surface epithelium were observed in the 3‐month samples of 7 patients with spotting, compared with 12 with amenorrhea. It is hypothesized that incomplete endometrial involution could be due to differences in gestrinone pharrnacokinetics in individual patients, in the quality and/or quantity of endometrial cytosolic receptors for sex steroids, or in endocrine compensation to administration of the drug.

Clinical Value of Dynamic MRI in the Diagnosis of Pituitary Microadenoma

MRI is today the first-choice technique for detection of pituitary microadenomas. The combination of T1-weighted spin-echo, T2-weighted spin-echo and T1-weighted spin-echo after intravenous gadolinium administration gives a clearly positive result in about 70% of cases. In the remaining 30% the hypersignal generated by the contrast agent can hide the smallest lesions. Dynamic MRI is considered capable of visualizing some of the smallest pituitary microadenomas not visible on conventional MRI, and has therefore become the most promising technique to image pituitary lesions. The purpose of this study is to compare the effectiveness of conventional and dynamic MRI. Fifty patients were examined with dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI of the pituitary gland. They were thought to have pituitary adenoma on the basis of clinical and biological data. MRI was performed at 1.5T (Siemens SP 63) with the acquisition of three sequences: 1) T2-weighted sequence 2) Dynamic study: (temporal resolution 17 s) 3) T1-weighted postcontrast sequence. In 10 cases (20%) no pathological findings were seen. In 32 cases (64%) pathological findings were seen both in dynamic and in SE T1 and T2-weighted images. In 8 cases (16%) pathological findings were observed only in the dynamic study. In 8 studies out of 50 (16%) dynamic MRI showed small (less than 7 mm) focal relatively hypointense areas in the pituitary gland, visible neither on SE T2-weighted pre-contrast nor on SE T1-weighted postcontrast images, leading to a diagnostic sensitivity from 64% to 80%. Dynamic MRI did not miss any lesions although in 3 cases the picture was more clear on SE sequences. We can conclude that dynamic MRI study of the pituitary gland improves accuracy in the diagnosis of pituitary microadenomas.