Hemimasticatory spasm —a peripheral paroxysmal cranial neuropathy?

The clinical and electrophysiological features of a case of hemimasticatory spasm are presented. The findings are in many respects similar to those described in hemifacial spasm. A peripheral cranial neuropathy as proposed in hemifacial spasm also may be responsible for hemimasticatory spasm.     

Clinical predictive factors for endometriosis in a Portuguese infertile population

BACKGROUND: Endometriosis is an important clinical situation associated with subfertility. It would be very useful to identify patients at increased risk for endometriosis prior to laparoscopy. In the present study, we evaluate the demographic and clinical characteristics in a cohort of Portuguese subfertile women in relation to the presence of endometriosis. METHODS: Consecutive subfertile patients scheduled for laparoscopy were interviewed prior to the procedure. At subsequent laparoscopy, the presence of endometriosis was scored according to the revised classification of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM). Data available from the medical history were tabulated against the presence or absence of endometriosis. We used logistic regression analysis to evaluate whether data from the patient's medical history could predict the presence of endometriosis. RESULTS: Among the 1079 women that were studied, 358 had minimal/mild endometriosis and 130 had moderate/severe endometriosis. Primary subfertility, regularity of menstrual cycles, dysmenorrhoea, chronic pelvic pain, obesity, ever use of oral contraceptives and smoking were the most important predictors of endometriosis. The prediction model had an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of 0.71. CONCLUSIONS: Both the presence of endometriosis (all stages) and the presence of severe endometriosis per se can be predicted from the medical history. These data should be used in the decision to perform laparoscopy at an early stage or a later stage in the work-up for subfertility.     

Misoprostol versus curettage in women with early pregnancy failure after initial expectant management: a randomized trial

BACKGROUND: Little is known about the effectiveness of misoprostol treatment in women with early pregnancy failure who have been managed expectantly. We therefore performed a randomized trial on this subject. METHODS: Women with early pregnancy failure, who had been managed expectantly for at least 1 week, were assigned randomly (using a computer-generated list) to receive either vaginal misoprostol 800 microg or curettage. If, after 24 h, there had not been complete evacuation, a further 800 microg of misoprostol was administered. In the absence of complete evacuation after > days, curettage was performed. The primary end-point was the complete evacuation of the products of conception, with secondary end-points being the occurrence of side effects, pain intensity, need for analgesics, and intensity and duration of bleeding. RESULTS: In the misoprostol group, 47% (37/79) required curettage due to incomplete evacuation. After 1 week, evacuation was complete in 85% (67 out of 79) of the misoprostol group and 93% (70 out of 75) of the curettage group. Severity of pain, bleeding and emergency evacuation was higher in the misoprostol group. The complication rate was 0% for misoprostol and 4% for curettage. CONCLUSIONS: Curettage is superior to misoprostol in the evacuation of early pregnancy failure after failed expectant management. However, misoprostol could be clinically useful since it reduces the need for curettage by half and has a lower complication rate, at the expense of increased pain, vaginal bleeding and emergency evacuation.     

Systemic plasma vascular endothelial growth factor levels as a marker for increased angiogenesis during the single ventricle surgical pathway

Cyanosis and the cavopulmonary anastomosis (CPA) are associated with pulmonary arterio-venous malformations (PAVMs) in single ventricle physiology. Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) may be a marker of abnormal angiogenesis in this setting. Plasma VEGF levels were measured in 14 patients undergoing the surgical pathway leading to total cavopulmonary connection (TCPC). Venous blood samples were taken before and then months after CPA (n=6), and immediately before TCPC and 1 month thereafter (n=9). Corresponding arterial saturations were correlated with VEGF levels at each time frame. In six patients, pre-CPA plasma VEGF levels rose from a mean of 24.4-112.4 pg/ml (p<0.03) just prior to completion of TCPC. In nine patients, VEGF levels diminished from 115.7 to 48.9 pg/ml (p<0.05) after TCPC. VEGF levels were disproportionately elevated to arterial saturations most notably after CPA (r2=0.002), suggesting an additional angiogenic stimulus besides cyanosis. Plasma VEGF levels fluctuate during the single ventricle surgical pathway, with maximal levels after CPA, and regression after completion of TCPC. High VEGF levels are disproportionate to hypoxia after CPA, potentially incriminating the absence of hepatic flow to the lungs as an abnormal angiogenic stimulus. Measuring VEGF in venous blood may serve as a biochemical marker of angiogenesis after CPA.     

Black holes on MR images of the brain of patients with Björk-Shiley heart valves: additional observation in three cases

We report the cases of three patients with Bj?rk-Shiley convexo-concave heart valves with unusual black holes shown on cerebral MR images. For two patients, these findings were associated with fracture of the Bj?rk-Shiley convexo-concave heart valve, and for the third, with worn surfaces on the heart valve. Susceptibility changes shown by MR imaging suggest the possibility that these black holes may be associated with microscopic metallic particles, although, the exact cause of these black holes remains undetermined.     

Performance of basal follicle-stimulating hormone in the prediction of poor ovarian response and failure to become pregnant after in vitro fertilization: a meta-analysis

OBJECTIVE: To assess the predictive performance and clinical value of basal FSH as a test for ovarian reserve in in vitro fertilization (IVF) patients. DESIGN: Meta-analysis. SETTING: Tertiary fertility center. PATIENT(S): Patients undergoing IVF. INTERVENTION(S): None. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): Poor ovarian response, nonpregnancy. RESULT(S): We located 21 studies that had reported on basal FSH and IVF outcome. No single study met high standards of methodological rigor; most studies are of moderate methodological quality only. The summary receiver operating characteristic curve indicated a moderate predictive performance for poor response, and a low predictive performance for nonpregnancy. Predictions with a substantial shift from pre-FSH-test probability to post-FSH test probability are only achieved at extreme cut-off levels for basal FSH. Sensitivity of such cut-off levels, for both the prediction of poor response and nonpregnancy, is limited. CONCLUSION(S): Clinical value of testing for basal FSH is restricted to a small minority of patients. Basal FSH should not be regarded as a useful routine test for the prediction of IVF outcome. The development of better tests to assess ovarian reserve remains of importance.     

Development and psychometric evaluation of the Benzodiazepine Craving Questionnaire

Aim To assess the scalability, reliability and validity of a newly constructed self‐report questionnaire on craving for benzodiazepines (BZs), the Benzodiazepine Craving Questionnaire (BCQ). Setting and participants The BCQ was administered once to a sample of 113 long‐term and 80 former long‐term general practice BZ users participating in a large BZ reduction trial in general practice. Measurements (1) Unidimensionality of the BCQ was tested by means of the Rasch model. (2) The Rasch‐homogeneous BCQ items were assessed for subject and item discriminability. (3) Discriminative and construct validity were assessed. Findings The BCQ met the requirements for Rasch homogeneity, i.e. BZ craving as assessed by the scale can be regarded as a unidimensional construct. Subject and item discriminability were good. Construct validity was modest. Highest significant associations were found with POMS depression (Kendall's tau‐c = 0.15) and Dutch Shortened MMPI negativism (Kendall's tau‐c = 0.14). Discriminative validity was satisfactory. Highest discriminative power was found for a subset of eight items (Mann–Whitney U Z = ? 3.6, P = 0.000). The first signs of craving are represented by the acknowledgement of expectations of positive outcome, whereas high craving is characterized by direct intention to use. Conclusions The BCQ proved to be a reliable and psychometrically sound self‐report instrument to assess BZ craving in a general practice sample of long‐term BZ users.