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Biomedical subjects

D Feldberg

Publications and source records attributed to D Feldberg.

At least 73 records · Page 4Linked to original sources

The vanishing fetus. A report of 17 cases of triplets and quadruplets.

The incidence of multiple conceptions is higher than the incidence of multiple deliveries. The "vanishing fetus" is a relatively new concept being a direct result of the advent of ultrasonography. Early first trimester loss of one or more conceptuses accounts for this phenomenon. The patient may be symptomatic (bleeding, pain, abdominal cramps) but in most instances, the finding is fortuitous. We report 17 cases of a vanishing fetus in a multiple gestation of greater than twins. In 13 patients one fetus vanished in the course of pregnancy while in four cases two fetuses disappeared from each gestation. The phenomenon was observed up to the 16th week of pregnancy. It is our feeling that the finding of a vanishing fetus should be recorded early, as the prognosis for pregnancy bleeding is different than in the singleton pregnancy. Thus information regarding this phenomenon should be given to couples who consider artificial reduction of fetuses in the multiple gestation.

Female↗

Ovarian cyst aspiration during in vitro fertilization/embryo transfer (IVF/ET) cycles.

Fifteen patients treated in an IVF program with ovarian cysts were retrospectively evaluated. Ten women with ovarian cysts formed during induction of ovulation were treated by puncture and aspiration and compared to a control group of five patients in whom the ovarian cysts could not be punctured. Induction protocols in both groups were based on hMG/hCG or pFSH/hCG administration. In patients in the study group the mean volume aspirated from cysts was 7.4 +/- 2.1 ml. Mean estrogene (E2) levels on the day of hCG were 1411 +/- 213 and 1036 +/- 177 pg/ml in the hMG and pFSH groups, respectively. Mean progesterone (p) levels were 1.6 +/- 0.4 and 1.9 +/- 0.3 ng/ml, respectively. Oocyte collection was done with the aid of a vaginal ultrasound transducer. A mean of 6.2 and 5 oocytes was picked up respectively, with a fertilization rate of 74.3 and 69.1%. In all cases embryo transfer was performed. Two clinical pregnancies were achieved, one in each of the induction protocol groups. In the control group, patients underwent early luteinization, i.e., requiring cancelation of the cycle, after the ovarian cysts had not been aspirated. It is suggested that puncture and aspiration of ovarian cysts occurring during induction of ovulation may be an efficient method to avoid early luteinization. It should be evaluated further.

Adult↗

Spontaneous abortion in patients with insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus: the effect of preconceptional diabetic control.

Fifty-nine of 94 pregnant women with juvenile-onset insulin-dependent diabetes who attended a preconceptional clinic were periodically examined by a diabetologic team. Glycemic control was obtained by intensified insulin therapy and monitored by blood glucose self-monitoring. These women were compared with the 35 pregnant women who did not receive preconceptual glycemic control. The initial glucose and maternal hemoglobin A1 values of the latter group experiencing spontaneous abortions were significantly higher (p less than 0.001) when compared with women receiving preconceptional diabetologic counseling whose pregnancies continued beyond 22 weeks' gestation. The frequency of spontaneous abortions among patients not seen before pregnancy was significantly higher (p less than 0.001), in contrast to attending women, whose rate represented the normal rate in the general population. We confirm the evidence accumulated in the recent literature that poor metabolic control around conception and in the early weeks of pregnancy may be the determining factor favoring abortion.

Abortion, Spontaneous↗

Fetal surveillance in insulin-dependent diabetic pregnancy: predictive value of the biophysical profile.

Ninety-eight insulin-dependent diabetic pregnancies underwent monitoring by means of 978 biophysical profiles from 28 weeks' gestation until parturition. Only 2.9% of the 978 tests had abnormal results (score less than or equal to 7). When performed within 2 days before birth, a normal biophysical profile predicted the 1-minute Apgar score to be normal in 92% and 5-minute Apgar score in 99%. When all biophysical profiles ever performed were included, the predictive value improved to 100%. The baby's first cry within 1 minute after birth was predicted in 95%. Furthermore, the predictive value of a normal biophysical profile regarding the absence of ominous intrapartum cardiotocographic patterns was excellent (95%). The specificity was in general good (80% to 90%), but the predictive value of abnormal test results and sensitivity were almost without exception poor. It seems that the very low rate of abnormal biophysical profiles indicates that obstetric interventions were made immediately after the occurrence of the first sign of fetal jeopardy; thus improved results were obtained.

Amniotic Fluid↗

Comparison of a fixed and dynamic protocol for embryo replacement in an IVF/ET programme.

Implantation after embryo transfer is considered a major obstacle in terms of pregnancy rates after in-vitro fertilization. A flexible approach to the date of replacement, based on the fact that the most suitable embryonic structure for proper implantation is the four- to eight-cell embryo, has been studied. One-hundred-and-twenty patients with various aetiologies of infertility were stimulated with HMG or combined HMG and FSH, then treated by three different methods of embryo replacement. In group I embryos were replaced in mothers 48 h after ovum retrieval; in group II replacements were carried out 72 h after retrieval; and in group III replacements were related to embryonic cleavage development. Mean levels of oestradiol when HCG was given averaged 1301 +/- 121 pg/ml, 1016 +/- 96 pg/ml and 1182 +/- 101 pg/ml in the three groups, respectively. There was no significant difference in the average number of embryos transferred among the various groups. The pregnancy rates per transfer were 21.8, 24.2 and 38.7%, respectively (P less than 0.001). Although more investigation is required, a dynamic approach to embryo replacement might significantly improve pregnancy rates, because of improved interactions between the embryos and the uterus.

Chorionic Gonadotropin↗

First trimester bleeding in clinical IVF pregnancies.

First trimester bleeding has been investigated in 72 pregnant women undergoing in-vitro fertilization and embryo transfer and was compared to 70 pregnant patients in whom ovulation was induced, in addition to 70 spontaneous pregnancies. Abortion rates did not differ significantly between the first two groups but were significantly higher in comparison to normal pregnancies. Furthermore, among IVF pregnancies that continued, a high incidence of first trimester bleeding occurred (P less than 0.01). This complication was mainly related to luteal insufficiency and multiple pregnancies, whereas hyperstimulation was the major risk factor for bleeding in pregnancies arising from HMG-induced ovulation. Other currently unknown, aetiological factors for first trimester bleeding in IVF pregnancies remain to be investigated.

17 alpha-Hydroxyprogesterone Caproate↗

Pregnancy outcome in maturity onset diabetes at young age (MODY).

Diabetes mellitus is not a single disease, but rather a syndrome comprised of a variety of diseases characterized by hyperglycaemia. Indeed it has a heterogeneous nature. Maturity Onset Diabetes of the Young or MODY is an unusual, mild type of hyperglycaemia, which develops in young women, (below the age of 25), who do not require insulin. This study describes 10 pregnancies in MODY women, who are compared to a group of patients with insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM), a group with gestational diabetes, and a control group of normal, healthy pregnant women. Our group of pregnant MODY patients proved to have an intermediate form of diabetes, more severe than gestational diabetes and yet not as severe as insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus. Mean duration of diabetes was shorter and mean daily insulin requirement (during pregnancy) was lower among MODY patients in comparison to IDDM gestants. Moreover the frequency of maternal complications and Caesarean deliveries in MODY patients were lower than in the IDDM group, but higher when compared to the gestational diabetes group.

Adolescent↗

Transvaginal oocyte retrieval controlled by vaginal probe for in vitro fertilization: a comparative study.

Of 142 patients who initiated in vitro fertilization cycles, 52 underwent oocyte collection by laparoscopy, 58 by the ultrasonically guided transvesical route, both under general or local anesthesia and 36 by the ultrasonically transvaginal route under local anesthesia. When the three methods were compared the results did not differ significantly. An average of 6.4, 6.2, and 5.7 oocytes, respectively, were retrieved. Cleavage rates were 82.6, 79.4, and 81.6%, respectively, while 20.2, 22.6, and 21.1% clinical pregnancies per cycle were obtained. Complications with this procedure such as exacerbation of previous pelvic inflammatory disease, urinary tract infections, transient hematuria, and mild hemoperitoneum were rare. In general, patients greatly preferred the transvaginal method. In addition to providing greater comfort for the patient, this method requires no general anesthesia and is less expensive than other methods. Our initial experience demonstrates that in vitro fertilization can be performed successfully through this simplified alternative to oocyte retrieval.

Adult↗

Intrapartum management of insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM) gestants. A comparative study of constant intravenous insulin infusion and continuous subcutaneous insulin infusion pump (CSIIP).

Two groups of insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM) parturients were managed according to different intrapartum protocols and compared with a control group of normal women in labor. Thirty-seven patients received conventional intensified insulin therapy during pregnancy and intravenous continuous insulin infusion during labor. Twenty-eight women were managed by continuous subcutaneous insulin infusion pump (CSIIP) throughout gestation and this therapeutic approach was continued during labor. When the two glucose control techniques were compared, CSIIP was superior to achieving and maintaining intrapartum optimal metabolic control, reducing significantly the incidence of acute fetal distress, thus lowering the cesarean section rate and neonatal hypoglycemia. Consequently we concur with the recommendation that firm prepartum as well as intrapartum diabetic control is mandatory for successful management of labor in IDDM patients.

Blood Glucose↗

Abdominal complications following ultrasonically guided percutaneous transvesical collection of oocytes for in vitro fertilization.

Ultrasonically guided transvesical oocyte aspiration is a safe and efficient method in most in vitro fertilization (IVF) units. It entails very rare severe complications, even though transvesical punctures performed may unintentionally pierce the bowel or even major blood vessels. Nevertheless, mild complications are rarely noted and reported. During a 9-month period 140 ovum pickups were performed: 102 by transabdominal ultrasound-guided puncture and 38 by means of laparoscopy. In the former group, abdominal pain (11.6%), exacerbation of previous pelvic inflammatory disease (2.9%), mild hemoperitoneum (2.9%), urinary tract infections (5.8%) and transient macroscopic hematuria (5.8%) occurred following the procedure. In the latter group, abdominal pain followed in 7.8%; no urinary tract complications were noted in women undergoing laparoscopic ovum aspiration. In spite of the fact that ultrasonically guided transvesical oocyte collection is an atraumatic method with rare complications, they should be reported in order to draw attention to their not-so-rare occurrence and with the aim of their prevention.

Abdomen↗

Multiple pregnancy after in-vitro fertilization and embryo transfer: report of a quadruplet pregnancy and delivery.

The first baby from in-vitro fertilization (IVF) was born in England in 1978 as a result of retrieval of a single preovulatory oocyte in the course of a natural cycle (Steptoe and Edwards, 1978). At present most programmes of IVF throughout the world do not use natural cycles producing only one oocyte, but rather multiple oocyte cycles produced by clomiphene citrate (CC), human menopausal gonadotrophin (HMG), or pure follicle stimulating hormone (FSH), either separately or in combination, sequentially or concomitantly, for the induction of multiple follicular maturation.

Adult↗