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Biomedical subjects

E A Reece

Publications and source records attributed to E A Reece.

At least 181 records · Page 10Linked to original sources

Clavicular measurement: a new biometric parameter for fetal evaluation.

Fetal clavicular length was measured sonographically in 85 fetuses with gestational ages ranging from 15 to 40 weeks. Biparietal diameter (BPD) and femur length (FL) were also measured. A linear correlation was found between clavicular length and gestational age (coefficient of correlation = 0.81). A simple relation was found: The gestational age in weeks is approximately equal to the length of the clavicle as expressed in millimeters. The measurement of clavicular length can be a useful parameter for the estimation of gestational age and in the detection of congenital anomalies that affect the clavicles. Clavicular measurements may also prove useful in the detection of macrosomic fetuses at high risk for obstructed labor or shoulder dystocia.

Anthropometry↗

Sonographically monitored amniocentesis to decrease intraoperative complications.

The rates of intraoperative complications (dry and bloody taps) of two amniocentesis techniques were compared in 1300 patients undergoing second trimester procedures for genetic indications. The sonographically guided technique consisted of the selection of a site for needle insertion with ultrasound, removal of the transducer, and immediate amniocentesis. The sonographically monitored technique consisted of the continuous visualization of the needle during the entire procedure. Six hundred twelve amniocenteses were performed with the sonographically guided technique and 688 with the sonographically monitored technique. There was a statistically significant decrease in the incidence of bloody and dry taps of the first needle insertion (relative risk = 38%, P less than .0001) and also in the number of patients that required multiple needle insertions (relative risk = 42%, P less than .0001) with the sonographically monitored technique.

Amniocentesis↗

Systemic lupus erythematosus in pregnancy.

Women with SLE are at risk for developing a greater number of complications during pregnancy and have a lesser chance for a successful outcome for the conceptus than do normal healthy gravidas. These complications probably result, at least in part, from the action of estrogens to stimulate the underlying immunologic disorder of SLE. In addition, women with hypertension, renal functional abnormalities, or other complications resulting from SLE are likely to share the same risk factors as women with these afflictions due to non-SLE disorders. Recent studies, however, show that the incidence of clinical flares during pregnancy and diminished fetal survival are not as exaggerated as were described in earlier reports and small case series, probably owing to more adequate suppression of SLE activity with glucocorticoids and immunosuppressive drugs, and to improvements in fetal monitoring and maternal care. Women in complete clinical remission, regardless of previous manifestations of SLE, appeared to have the best outlook for uncomplicated pregnancies and the highest incidence of fetal survival. In our judgment, gravidas with established SLE should be managed in a perinatal program with an expertise available for careful systematic fetal monitoring; ready access to consultants in nephrology, rheumatology, and other relevant disciplines; and inpatient facilities for complicated gestations. In addition, all women with SLE should be screened for anti-Ro (SS-A) antibodies in order to identify fetuses at risk for cardiac conduction defects. Women with a history of recurrent in utero fetal deaths or spontaneous abortions should be screened for LE-anticoagulant, even in the absence of clinical signs of SLE.

Estrogens↗

The diagnosis of congenital renal anomalies with ultrasound. II. Infantile polycystic kidney disease.

Infantile polycystic kidney disease in an autosomal recessive disorder which in its severe form is characterized by bilateral renal enlargement and renal failure. The present study was undertaken to assess the diagnostic accuracy of antenatal sonography in a population at risk. Nineteen patients with fetuses at risk for infantile polycystic kidney disease were referred for ultrasound examination to the Perinatal Unit at Yale-New Haven Hospital. Ten infants had infantile polycystic kidney disease (53%). A positive antenatal sonographic diagnosis was made by the presence of oligohydramnios, an absent urinary bladder, bilateral renal enlargement as measured by the kidney circumference-to-abdominal circumference ratio, and the typical hyperechogenic appearance of the kidneys in the disease. A correct antenatal diagnosis was made in nine of the 10 affected infants. There were no false positive diagnoses. A false negative diagnosis occurred in an infant with a less severe form of the disease. Ultrasound is a valuable tool in the antenatal diagnosis of infantile polycystic kidney disease.

False Negative Reactions↗

Spontaneous factor XI inhibitors. Seven additional cases and a review of the literature.

Circulating anticoagulants are endogenous blood components that inhibit the action of clotting factors. In some inhibitor conditions this inactivation in the function of the hemostatic system may lead to life-threatening hemorrhagic diathesis. Inhibitors directed against factor XI are generally associated with little or no impairment of the hemostatic system. We analyzed all reported cases of spontaneous factor XI inhibitor in the international literature, as well as cases identified at the Yale--New Haven (Conn) Hospital between 1970 and 1980, considering clinical spectrum, diagnosis, and therapy.

Adolescent↗

Chronic renal failure and severe diabetic vasculopathy in pregnancy.

The prospect of successful gestational outcome in pregnancies complicated by chronic renal insufficiency, severe hypertension, and diabetic vasculopathy is generally considered poor. This article describes a pregnancy with these complications in which a conservative form of management was utilized and resulted in a successful gestational outcome.

Blood Glucose↗

Fetal-neonatal uremia in advanced maternal diabetes.

A symmetrically growth retarded premature infant was born to a mother with advanced diabetic nephropathy, chronic renal failure, and hypertension, and managed with aggressive medical therapy without the use of dialysis. The neonatal course was uncomplicated, except for cord blood creatinine and BUN concentrations of 4.7 mg/dl and 116 mg/dl, respectively, that fell to 1.1 mg/dl and 44 mg/dl by 2 days of age. Strict glucose control, careful management of the metabolic abnormalities of uremia, and periodic surveillance of fetal well-being led to a successful pregnancy.

Cesarean Section↗

Glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1) and hemoglobinopathies in pregnancy.

Glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1) is considered to be representative of prior blood-glucose levels and is being used in pregnant and nonpregnant diabetic patients as a possible index of both long and short-term glucose-control. Factors other than blood-glucose concentration have been reported to affect its value. Variant hemoglobin is one of them. HbA1 and blood-glucose levels were measured in pregnant patients at high risk for diabetes for screening for abnormal carbohydrate metabolism. HbA1 was measured by cation exchange column chromatography and glucose was measured by hexokinase reaction. The mean HbA1 in patients with normal blood sugars was 6.17 +/- 0.6 percent. A value of HbA1 of less than 5 percent as measured by cation exchange column chromatography was highly predictive (P less than 0.001) of hemoglobinopathies (S or C). The mean HbA1 of randomly selected matched patients with "normal" Hb was 5.94 +/- 0.72 percent. In patients with thalassemia, HbA1 values as measured by cation exchange column chromatography were elevated despite normal carbohydrate tolerance. While interpreting the results of HbA1 in the management of pregnant diabetics, the above fact should be kept in mind.

Blood Glucose↗

Amniotic fluid arborization: effect of blood, meconium, and pH alterations.

The effects of blood and meconium at various dilutions and pH alterations on the fern test were evaluated in an in vitro study. Thirty-six specimens of amniotic fluid across gestational ages (16 to 42 weeks) were tested. The fern test was unaffected by meconium at any concentration and by blood at dilutions of 1:10 or greater. When blood and amniotic fluid were mixed in equal amounts, ferning was not present. Arborization of amniotic fluid was unaffected by pH alterations. These findings support the clinical usefulness of the fern test for the determination of ruptured membranes, even in the presence of blood or meconium contamination, and of pH alterations.

Amniotic Fluid↗

Coagulopathy associated with factor VIII inhibitor. A literature review.

Coagulopathy associated with factor VIII inhibitor is a potentially serious medical condition that may mimic the hemostatic failure seen in hemophilia A. This disorder may be detected first during pregnancy or the postpartum period and may cause life-threatening hemorrhagic diathesis. Thirty-three cases of coagulopathy associated with factor VIII inhibitor in the peripartum period have been reported.

Adolescent↗

Use of glycosylated hemoglobin as a screen for macrosomia in gestational diabetes.

Glycosylated hemoglobin and blood sugar levels in the fasting state and two hours after oral 100 g glucose load were measured in 180 patients. Glycosylated hemoglobin was measured by cation exchange column chromatography, and blood sugar was measured by hexokinase reaction. Patients with an elevated postprandial and/or fasting blood sugar level (positive screen) subsequently underwent three-hour glucose tolerance test. The mean value of glycosylated hemoglobin in patients with a negative screen and normal hemoglobin was 6.17 +/- 0.61%; and the value for glycosylated hemoglobin in patients with class A diabetes and normal hemoglobin electrophoresis was 6.85 +/- 0.73% (P less than .001). A glycosylated hemoglobin value greater than 6.78 (mean + 1 SD) was considered elevated. Glycosylated hemoglobin values were elevated in 21 of 33 patients with gestational diabetes and in 27 of 147 patients with normal blood sugar levels. The sensitivity and specificity of glycosylated hemoglobin for the diagnosis of gestational diabetes were 63.6 and 81.6%, respectively. Fifty percent of patients with an initially elevated glycosylated hemoglobin value delivered macrosomic infants, whereas no patient with a normal glycosylated hemoglobin value had a macrosomic infant. An elevated glycosylated hemoglobin value may alert the obstetrician of a potentially elevated mean blood sugar level and may warrant aggressive management of gestational diabetes.

Birth Weight↗

Combined intrauterine and extrauterine gestations: a review.

In a review of the world's literature on combined intrauterine and extrauterine pregnancies, 589 cases, including five cases currently reported from the Sloane Hospital for Women, were documented. Analysis of the literature revealed abdominal pain to be the most frequent presenting symptom. A combination of signs and symptoms, including abdominal pain, adnexal mass, peritoneal irritation, and an enlarged uterus, was the most significant finding in support of a presumptive diagnosis of combined gestations. At the Sloane Hospital for Women, the occurrence of both pelvic inflammatory disease and combined pregnancy is approximately three times the reported world incidence. This proportionate increase in both disease states may support a potential etiologic association between pelvic inflammatory disease and simultaneous intrauterine and extrauterine gestations.

Abdomen↗