O+G 2 Flashcards
What positions can the uterus lie? What proportions lie in each position?
Up towards abdo wall (anteverted) 80%
Back into pelvis (retroverted) 20%
Which cell type lines the uterus?
Glandular epithelium (endometrium)
Which ligament is lateral to the uterus?
broad ligament
Uterine blood supply
Uterine arteries (cross ureters) Ovarian arteries (anastamose at cornu)
What do fibroids arise from? What’s another name for fibroids?
Myometrium
Leiomyomata (benign tumours)
Incidence of fibroids
20% of white and around 50% of black women
Risk factors for fibroids
- Older women (peri-menopausal)
- Afro-Caribbean
- Family history
Protective:
- Parous women
- women who have taken COCP or injectable progestogens
Symptoms of fibroids
- 50% none
- menorrhagia 30%
- erratic/bleeding (IMB)
- pressure effects (urinary symptoms)
- subfertility if tubal ostia are blocked or submucous fibroids prevent implantation
- lower abdominal pain: cramping pains, often during menstruation or if tortion or degeneration
Complications of fibroids
- tortion of pedunculated fibroid
- degenerations (red (partic in pregnancy), hyaline/cystic, calcification in postmenopausal)
- malignancy 0.1% leiomyosarcoma
Investigations for fibroids
- FBC (low from blood loss but can be high as fibroids can secrete EPO)
- hysteroscopy (to assess uterine cavity distortion especially if fertility an issue)
- TVUS
- MRI or laparoscopy if diagnosis unsure
Complications of fibroids during pregnancy
- premature labour
- malpresentations
- transverse lie
- obstructed labour
- PPH
- red degeneration
- pedunculated fibroids may tort postpartum
Don not remove during c-section as can cause heavy bleeding
What are fibroids dependent on?
Oestrogen
Management for fibroids
Observe or
Conservative (medical)
- symptomatic management with a levonorgestrel-releasing intrauterine system is recommended by CKS first-line
- other options include tranexamic acid, combined oral contraceptive pill, NSAIDs
- GnRH agonists may reduce the size of the fibroid but are typically useful for short-term treatment. side effects limit use to 6 months
Surgical:
- myomectomy (if medical treatment has failed or want to preserve fertility). Do open as laproscopic is harder to excise. 2-3 months of GnRH analogues shrink fibroid and reduce vascularity.
- hysterectomy. 2-3 months of GnRH agonist allows less invasive operation
- hysteroscopic transcervical resection of fibroid (TCRF). If fibroid is a polyp or small (up to 3cm) submucous if causing menstrual/fertility problems. Pretreatment with GnRH agonist for 1-2 months first shrink fibroid
- hysterscopic endometrial ablation. safety and efficacy not determined
- uterine artery embolization (UAE). 80% success rate
How do you reduce blood loss during a myomectomy?
Peroperative injection of vasopressin directly into the myometrium
Indications for c-section post myomectomy
- endometrial cavity opened during procedure
- multiple or large fibroids
Reason is that there is an increase risk of uterine rupture during labour
What normally happens to BP during pregnancy?
- falls to a minimum level in 2nd trimester (approx 30/15 mmHg) due to reduced vascular resistance
- happens to both normotensive and hypertensive mums
- rises to normal by term
What happens to protein excretion during pregnancy?
Rises but shouldn’t go beyond 0.3g/24 hours
What’s PIH?
Pregnancy induced hypertension
BP above 140/90 mmHg after 20 weeks
Features of pre-eclampsia
- BP above 140/90 mmHg
- Proteinuria (>0.3 g/24h)
- second half of pregnancy
often with oedema
What is pre-existing or chronic hypertension?
BP more than 140/90 mmHG before pregnancy or before 20 weeks
If a woman has hypretension what is the additional risk of pre-eclampsia?
6 times
Causative organ of pre-eclampsia
Placenta disease
Cured by delivery
Pathogenesis of pre-eclampsia
Stage 1
- incomplete trophoblastic invasion (normally trophoblast invades spiral arteries and causes vasodilation of vessel walls) and acute artherosis (spiral arterioles may contain atheromatous lesions)->
- reduced spiral artery flow ->
- reduced uteroplacental blood flow (causes an abnormal uterine artery waveform) ->
- exaggerated inflammatory response ->
Stage 2
- endothelial cell damage ->:
- increased vascular permeability (oedema and proteinuria)
- vasoconstriction (hypertension, eclampsia, liver damage)
- clotting abnormality
What proportion of women get pre-eclampsia?
- 6% of nulliparous women
- less common in multiparous women unless other risk factors
- 15% recurrence rate (upto 50% if there has been severe pre-eclampsia before 28 weeks)
What are the classifications for mild, moderate and severe hypertension?
Mild 140/90-149/99 mmHg
Moderate 150-100-159/109 mmHg
Severe 160/110:+ mmHg
What are the classifications of pre-eclampsia?
Mild= proteinuria and mild/moderate hypertension Moderate= Proteinuria and severe hypertension with no maternal complications Severe= proteinuria and any hypertension <34 weeks or with maternal complications
What are the risk factors for pre-eclampsia?
High risk factors
- hypertensive disease in a previous pregnancy
- chronic kidney disease
- autoimmune disease, such as systemic lupus erythematosus or antiphospholipid syndrome
- type 1 or type 2 diabetes
- chronic hypertension
Moderate risk factors
- first pregnancy
- age 40 years or older
- pregnancy interval of more than 10 years
- body mass index (BMI) of 35 kg/m² or more at first visit
- family history of pre-eclampsia
- multiple pregnancy
Features of HELLP syndrome
Haemolysis
(dark urine, raised lactic dehydrogenase, anaemia)
Elevated liver enzymes
(epigastric pain, liver failure, abnormal clotting)
Low platelets
(normally self-limiting)
What sign is suggestive of impending complications of pre-eclampsia?
epigastric tenderness
Complications of pre-eclampsia
Maternal (can cause maternal death)
- eclampsia
- cerebrovascular accident
- HELLP
- DIC
- liver failure
- renal failure
- pulmonary oedema
Fetal (can cause fetal death)
- IUGR
- preterm birth
- placental abruption
- hypoxia
Clinical features of pre-eclampsia
- usually asymptomatic
- occipital headache
- drowsiness
- visual disturbances
- nausea/vomiting
- epigastric pain
Pre-eclampsia accounts for what proportion of still births and preterm deliveries?
5% of still-births
10% preterm deliveries
Investigations for pre-eclampsia
Dipstick urinalysis.
If positive:
- infection is excluded by urine culture
- protein quantified (used to do 2 hour urine collection. now use protein: creatinine ratio)
What should you do to monitor pre-eclampsia?
Maternal complications:
- uric acid
- high Hb
- platelet count
- LFT (inc ALT suggests impending HELLP)
- creatinine (renal failure)
Fetal complications:
- US to estimate fetal weight and growth
- Umbilical artery doppler and CTG if abnormal
Screening and prevention of pre-eclampsia
Uterine artery doppler scan at 23 weeks gestation but low sensitivity
Now integration of following gives higher sensitivity
- UAD at 11-13+6 weeks (time of nuchal scan)
- other risk factors such as BP, biochemical markers
Prevention
Aspirin 75 mg from <16 weeks if pregnancy at risk
Management of pre-eclampsia
- When to investigate?
- When do you admit?
- When do you give antihypertensives?
- When do you give steroids?
- When do you deliver?
- When do you give magnesium sulphate?
- What do you do postnatally?
- BP > 140/90 mmHg
- Confirmed pre-eclampsia or BP 160/110+ mmHg, proteinuria 2+ (if 1+ review 2 days later)
- BP reaches 150/100 mmHg, urgently is 160/110 mmHg
- Moderate/severe at <34 weeks to promote fetal pulmonary maturity
- mild by 37 weeks, moderate-severe by 34-36 weeks or whatever the gestation if there are maternal complications
- Eclampsia or to prevent it. Always deliver
- Watch BP, urine output, blood tests (FBC, U&E, LFTs), ensure adequate follow up
How are patients with new hypertension monitored?
Assessed in day assessment unit. BP rechecked and investigations done.
Patients without proteinuria and with mild or moderate hypertension are usually managed as out-patients.
BP and urinalysis are repeated 2x weekly and US is performed every 2-4 weeks unless suggestive of fetal compromise
What do you use to treat hypertension in pre-eclampsia?
- oral nefedipine for initial control
- IV laetalol as second line
How would you deliver a baby if required for pre-eclampsia?
- before 34 weeks caesarean section
- after 34 weeks can induce with prostaglandins
- epidural analgesia helps reduce BP
- fetus monitored using CTG
- antihypertensives used in labour
- if maternal BP above 160/110 mother should not push as increases risk of cerebral haemorrhage
- oxytocin rather than ergometrine is used for the 3rd stage as ergometrine can inc BP
How would you check for a phaeochromocytoma?
24 hour urine collection of vanillylmandelic acid (VMA)
Features of severe pre-eclampsia
- hypertension: typically > 170/110 mmHg and proteinuria - proteinuria: dipstick ++/+++
- headache
- visual disturbance
- papilloedema
- RUQ/epigastric pain
- hyperreflexia
- platelet count < 100 * 106/l, abnormal liver enzymes or HELLP syndrome
A young woman of 28 weeks gestation presents to the emergency department with painless vaginal bleeding, she appears well and is haemodynamically stable.
Which investigation is most likely to help confirm the diagnosis?
Diagnosis of placenta praevia is with abdominal US with colour flow doppler.
Transvaginal ultrasound scans be safely performed at 20 weeks, in addition to the abdominal ultrasound scan to help improve the accuracy of localisation and RCOG guidelines state that they should be used to confirm the diagnosis of placenta praevia.
What is placenta praevia?
Placenta praevia describes a placenta lying wholly or partly in the lower uterine segment
What should you do if you detect a low lying placenta at 16-20 week scan?
- rescan at 34 weeks
- no need to limit activity or intercourse unless they bleed
- if still present at 34 weeks and grade I/II then scan every 2 weeks
- if high presenting part or abnormal lie at 37 weeks then Caesarean section should be performed