Faculty Bibliography

A pregnancy complicated by vaginal stenosis six years after diagnosis of Stevens-Johnson syndrome is described. The pathologic changes in the vagina have not previously been reported. The basic pathology of severe mucosal erythema multiforme was present, as well as ectasia of the superficial capillaries and small venules. The effect of the vaginal scars on the mode of delivery is discussed

Thoracic aortic aneurysm is associated with increased morbidity and mortality in pregnancy. Successful pregnancy with vaginal delivery after repair of a traumatic aortic aneurysm is described

To differentiate pregnancies complicated by oligohydramnios due to intrauterine growth retardation from those due to renal agenesis, the authors administered furosemide intravenously to eight pregnant women (19-25 weeks gestation) with oligohydramnios. The fetal abdomen was scanned with ultrasound to demonstrate the fetal urinary bladder. In six fetuses, sonography failed to demonstrate the bladder: two fetuses had growth retardation with normal kidneys and bladder, and four had renal anomalies. It is concluded that administration of furosemide to the mother fails to induce diuresis in growth-retarded fetuses of 19-23 weeks gestation and that failure to see the fetal bladder after furosemide administration does not necessarily indicate absent fetal kidneys

Riboflavin concentration was measured in sera of a control population and in a series of paired maternal and cord sera. The assay technique was carefully validated and appears to be specific and reproducible. The mean riboflavin concentration in 12 apparently healthy adults was 116 +/- 46 nmol/L (SD). In 20 uneventful pregnancies the cord serum concentration was generally higher than the maternal concentration (158 +/- 47 nmol/L versus 113 +/- 35 nmol/L; p = 0.001). The cord-to-maternal ratio in paired sera averaged 1.45 +/- 0.44. There was no detectable difference in binding of riboflavin to cord and maternal serum proteins as measured by equilibrium dialysis (59.0% +/- 17% versus 60.8% +/- 16%). Comparison of protein binding by paired cord and maternal sera yielded a ratio of 0.99 +/- 0.13. The transplacental gradient of riboflavin concentration is unrelated to protein binding and is consistent with active transport by the placenta, as previously demonstrated in vitro

This is the first report to date on biochemical parameters in triplets. Umbilical artery and venous pH, PO2, PCO2, lactate and base deficit were measured in seven sets of triplets. Other parameters compared were route of delivery, one- and five-minute Apgar score, birth weight, relative birth order and sex. Twenty-one viable infants were born from three induced and four spontaneous pregnancies. Female: male sex ratio was 1.6:1.0. All triplets within a set were delivered by the same route--six sets by cesarean section and one set vaginally. There were no significant differences, according to Student's t-test, in birth weight, Apgar scores and biochemical parameters related to birth order. Comparison of umbilical artery and umbilical venous pH, PO2, PCO2, lactate and base deficit differences did not demonstrate evidence of acidosis or significant base deficit in the third triplet when compared with the first two, suggesting that the duration in utero after deliver of the firstborn is not associated with metabolic acidosis or hypoxia in the absence of any obstetric complication or anesthetic problem

One thousand thirty-two neonates were evaluated with umbilical venous and arterial blood samples drawn at delivery for assessment of pH, PO2, PCO2, and base deficit. These values were statistically correlated with Apgar scores in all of the neonates studied. Infants were divided into Apgar groupings (group A, greater than or equal to 7 at one and five minutes; group B, less than 7 at one minute, greater than or equal to 7 at five minutes; group C, less than or equal to 7 at both one and five minutes). Generally, umbilical artery and umbilical venous data were parallel. The differences in means for pH, PO2, PCO2, and base deficit was significant when group A was compared with group B in both umbilical artery and umbilical venous data. However, a severe degree of biochemical disturbance must take place before significant association with neonatal depression can be made. It appears that umbilical blood biochemical data are related to fetal metabolic status before birth but only modestly influence the one-minute Apgar score