Airway management for neonates requiring ex utero intrapartum treatment (EXIT)

In utero congenital malformations in the fetus can occasionally lead to an obstructed airway at birth accompanied by hypoxic injury or peripartum demise, without intervention. Ex utero intrapartum treatment (EXIT) may help reduce morbidity and mortality associated with challenging airways by providing extra time on uteroplacental circulation to secure the airway. Meticulous preparation and planning are crucial for this procedure. Many different types of congenital malformations can result in a difficult airway, but there is no correlation between specific malformations and a required type of airway intervention. Based on our experience and literature review, an airway process flow diagram has been created to help assist teams in decision‐making for airway intervention in a neonate during the EXIT procedure. The management of the airway in this scenario involves additional unique considerations that accompany handling a partially delivered newborn in the uterine environment. Extensive preparation and team rehearsal are essential to the success of this procedure.     

Precocious synapses in 13.5-week fetal holoprosencephalic cortex and cyclopean retina

Background: Genetic programming of cerebral development involves tissue morphogenesis and also timing of developmental processes. Precocious synaptogenesis in the neocortical plate was previously demonstrated in 5 of 6 fetuses of 20–31 weeks gestation. Materials and methods: Neuropathological examination was performed of a 13-week-5-day fetus with trisomy-13, alobar holoprosencephaly, hydrocephalus, cyclopia and absence of ears. Immunocytochemical demonstration of the synaptic vesicle protein synaptophysin was performed in the brain and retina, along with other neuronal markers. Results: Synaptophysin reactivity in the cortical plate was patchy and precocious. Radial glial fibres, demonstrated by vimentin, were oriented parallel to the cortical plate rather than perpendicular, probably because of hydrocephalus. A corpus striatum was not identified, but the poorly formed thalamus exhibited synaptophysin reactivity around many neurones. The cyclopean eye had ocular features of maturational delay including persistent hyaloid artery; ganglion cells were reduced in number, but retinal synaptophysin reactivity was paradoxically precocious. Conclusions: Holoprosencephaly exhibits abnormal patchy synapse distribution in the neocortex and retina; synaptogenesis was precocious, as we previously described in older fetuses. Too soon an onset of synapse formation may promote early epileptic circuitry, leading to severe infantile epilepsies postnatally. The visual system is the last of the special sensory systems to mature, yet in this case showed too early synapse formation. In HPE, cyclopia and in trisomy 13, total absence of external ears has not been reported; it results from faulty craniofacial induction by neural crest.     

CMV-Specific Cell-Mediated Immunity in Immunocompetent Adults with Primary CMV Infection: A Case Series and Review of the Literature

Cytomegalovirus-specific cell-mediated immunity (CMV-CMI) in actively infected healthy immunocompetent hosts has been poorly investigated. Conversely, correlates of maternal protective immunity for the fetus after primary infection in pregnancy continue to be studied. The kinetics and magnitude of CMV-specific CMI in immunocompetent primary CMV-infected adults are described. A literature review on CMV-CMI in primarily infected pregnant women and its correlation to the risk of vertical virus transmission is included. Immunological measurements after infection were performed by enzyme-linked ImmunoSPOT assay enumerating IFN-γ secreting CMV-specific T cells, at a single cell level, upon in vitro stimulation with viral antigens. Simultaneously, serological and virological profiles of infected patients were investigated. Patients displayed mild-to-moderate clinical and laboratory profiles for infection, and all showed positive EliSpot results in the early stage of infection (<20 days after onset). The virus-CMI was strong in the majority of patients (58.8%) in which the lowest CMV-DNAemia levels (<300 copies/mL) were detected. Significantly higher viral loads were observed in patients with weak CMV-CMI at the same time-point post-infection (up to 15,104 copies/mL; p < 0.001). T cell response magnitudes to IE-1 and pp65-UL83 peptides were overlapping and stable over time. In these case series, the early presence of CMV-CMI was probably pivotal in controlling viral replication and led to spontaneous viral clearance.     

Is the First of the Two Born Saved? A Rare and Dramatic Case of Double Placental Damage from SARS-CoV-2

The current coronavirus pandemic has affected, in a short time, various and different areas of medicine. Among these, the obstetric field has certainly been touched in full, and the knowledge of the mechanisms potentially responsible for placental damage from SARS-CoV-2 occupy a certain importance. Here we present here a rare case of dichorionic twins born at 30 weeks and 4 days of amenorrhea, one of whom died in the first few hours of life after placental damages potentially related to SARS-CoV-2. We also propose a brief review of the current literature giving ample emphasis to similar cases described.     

泄殖腔外翻畸形产前超声特征及文献复习

目的 探讨胎儿泄殖腔外翻的产前超声特征。方法 回顾性分析12胎确诊泄殖腔外翻胎儿的产前超声资料、引产/生产结果,观察泄殖腔外翻畸形的超声特征,并与病理对照。结果 超声显示脐膨出11胎,膀胱未显示8胎,肛门闭锁8胎,神经管缺陷（骶尾骨包块或椎骨缺失）7胎;主要伴发异常包括下肢畸形2胎,肾脏异常5胎,外生殖器辨别不清9胎,生长发育迟缓1胎,心脏异常2胎,消化道异常2胎,单脐动脉1胎,颈后透明层增厚合并脑积水1胎。结论 产前超声发现脐膨出、膀胱不显示、外生殖器辨别不清等征象时,应考虑胎儿泄殖腔外翻畸形。     

Outcome after prenatal diagnosis of the hypoplastic left heart syndrome

Objective—To derive accurate survival figures in the current surgical era for counselling in early pregnancy after the diagnosis of fetal hypoplastic left heart syndrome.
Setting—A tertiary referral centre for paediatric cardiology and cardiac surgery.
Design—A retrospective study of the outcome in all cases of hypoplastic left heart syndrome presenting in fetal life between mid-1993 and the end of 1996.
Patients—The diagnosis was made in 30 fetuses. In four of 12 identified before 24 weeks' gestation the mothers chose to terminate the pregnancy. There was an intention to treat in 24 of the remaining fetuses.
Main outcome measure—Survival to six months of postnatal life.
Results—Of the 24 infants, five were not offered Norwood stage 1 because of trisomy 18 (n = 2), unfavourable cardiac anatomy (n = 2), or neurological impairment (n = 1). One further infant did not survive to cardiac surgery after gastrointestinal surgery. Of the remaining 18 patients, eight had features that were considered to increase the risk of surgical repair. Of the 18 patients who underwent Norwood stage 1, there were nine survivors. There was a survival rate of 70% in infants undergoing surgery with no complicating features, a 50% survival of the all surgical candidates, and 37.5% survival from an intention to treat position.
Conclusions—At the initial diagnosis of fetal hypoplastic left heart syndrome, the overall survival appears to be less than 40%. Evaluation must include detailed extracardiac and intracardiac assessment to predict the risks of surgical treatment. Prenatal counselling can be modified as pregnancy advances, depending on the detection or exclusion of complicating factors.

Keywords: fetus;  congenital heart disease;  hypoplastic left heart syndrome     

160例妊娠期高血压疾病患者临床治疗分析

目的：探讨妊娠期高血压疾病（PIH）的临床治疗方法及效果。方法：选取本院2011年3月-2013年3月收治的160例PIH患者,按照随机数字表法将其分为试验组和对照组各80例,两组患者均给予常规解痉、降压、镇静、扩容与利尿治疗,试验组在此基础上加用丹参注射液,观察两组患者治疗后临床效果及母婴结局。结果：试验组的治愈率和总有效率均明显高于对照组,且剖宫产率及产后出血、胎心异常、新生儿窒息发生率均明显低于对照组,比较差异均有统计学意义（P〈0．05）。结论：在常规解痉、降压、镇静、扩容与利尿治疗基础上加用丹参注射液能够有效提高临床疗效,改善母婴结局,临床效果显著,应用价值较高。     

Fetal growth and well-being in a study of maternal hypertension in rabbits

Obtaining growth and physiologic data in the postnatal laboratory animal is common. However, monitoring growth in utero is far more difficult, with little data available except upon termination of pregnancy. High-resolution ultrasound was used to monitor growth, morphology, and fetal well-being in normotensive and hypertensive rabbits (21 fetuses) at day 16, 20, and 26 of the 32 day gestational period. Set protocols, comparable to those routinely assessed in humans, were devised and followed for each examination. Birth weight was greater in offspring of hypertensive as compared to normotensive mothers (p < 0.001); however, litter size was reduced. The greater birth weight was reflected in growth parameters measured throughout gestation indicating the predictive value of ultrasound. High-resolution ultrasound was a reliable and sensitive method for biometric and morphologic assessment of the fetal rabbit, demonstrating that growth trajectory of offspring of hypertensive mothers may be altered early in gestation.