Faculty Bibliography

OBJECTIVE: Our purpose was to evaluate whether tamoxifen has estrogenic endometrial effects as defined by histologic study or alterations in steroid hormone receptor expression. STUDY DESIGN: Nineteen postmenopausal tamoxifen-treated breast cancer patients who also had endometrial sampling were identified from files in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology. To examine the subgroup of 15 polyps, age-matched, non-hormonally treated patients with polyps (n = 8) or atrophic endometria (n = 5) served as comparison groups. Proliferative (n = 3) and secretory (n = 5) endometria served as procedural controls. Immunohistochemical studies for steroid receptors (estrogen, progesterone) were performed. RESULTS: Glandular cell progesterone receptor was significantly increased and stromal cell estrogen receptor was significantly decreased in tamoxifen-treated versus atrophic endometria. Progesterone receptor staining was not significantly different in tamoxifen-treated versus control polyps, although staining was high in both groups. Stromal cell estrogen receptor staining was significantly reduced in tamoxifen-treated versus control polyps, although there were no histologic differences. Reduced stromal cell estrogen receptor and increased glandular cell progesterone receptor staining was found in all tamoxifen-treated endometria regardless of the diagnosis. CONCLUSION: The tamoxifen-associated changes in endometrial steroid receptors support an estrogenic effect that is independent of histologic diagnosis and duration of use. This may contribute to the pathogenesis of tamoxifen-associated polyps and carcinomas

Saline infusion sonohysterography enhances endovaginal ultrasound examination of the uterine cavity in perimenopausal patients with abnormal uterine bleeding. It is easily and rapidly performed at minimal cost, is extremely well tolerated by patients, and is virtually devoid of complications. Its use can prevent invasive diagnostic procedures in some patients as well as optimize the preoperative triage process for those patients who will require therapeutic intervention

It has been 25 years since the introduction of the palpable postmenopausal ovary syndrome. As diagnostic imaging techniques have improved, small findings imaged in the adnexa were often handled as if they had been palpated. Clinical management was not made on any scientific basis. New endovaginal probes afford a degree of image magnification that is as if we are doing ultrasonography through a low-power microscope ('sonomicroscopy'). More recent additions of CA 125 measurement, color flow Doppler, and advanced endoscopic surgical techniques have come into the picture. This report attempts to describe an approach to postmenopausal cystic adnexal masses that synthesizes available information and techniques. It is designed to prevent unnecessary surgery and to prevent undue anxiety but not to miss or, at the least, unduly delay the diagnosis of ovarian cancer when it is, in fact, present

The aim of this retrospetive study was to identify any consistent patterns between ultrasound findings in failed pregnancies and either normal or abnormal karyotypes. The study involved 102 women in whom the diagnosis of early pregnancy failure was made sonographically. The criteria for a failed pregnancy were: a gestational sac with a mean diameter of > 12 mm without a yolk sac; a yolk sac of > 6 mm mean diameter with or without abnormal morphology that ultimately failed to develop an embryonic structure; and an embryo with a crown--rump length (CRL) of > 5 mm without cardiac activity, or the loss of previously identified cardiac activity. All patients underwent elective dilatation and curettage (D & C) and products of conception were sent for karyotyping. Forty-four pregnancies (43%) had abnormal karyotypes. Of these, 33 (75%) were trisomies. The other 11 included four triploidies, one tetraploidy, two with monosomy X, and four others (unbalanced complement, isochromosome, terminal deletion and translocation). Fifty-eight pregnancies (57%) had normal karyotypes, of which 52 were 46,XX and six were 46,XY. The furthest sonographic anatomic landmark achieved did not differ with respect to karyotypic findings. An abnormal yolk sac was found in 10/58 cases (17.2%) with normal karyotypes and 8/44 cases (18.2%) with abnormal karyotypes. There were eight cases of trisomy 16, of which only two manifested an embryonic structure, but neither of which had cardiac activity; the largest was 4 mm. There were four cases of trisomy 22, of which three developed embryos with a CRL of > 10 mm with cardiac activity (11, 11 and 18 mm, respectively). In three cases of mosaicism, embryos developed cardiac activity, and were 9, 19 and 16 mm. Two cases of monosomy X had embryos of 14 and 24 mm. Only one out of five cases with multiple trisomies developed to a point at which any embryonic structure was identifiable on ultrasound examination. The ultrasound appearance of early pregnancy failure in terms of furthest anatomic landmark reached was not significantly different in cases with normal or abnormal karyotype. An abnormally enlarged yolk sac, presumably secondary to hydropic change, is a non-specific finding of failed pregnancy, and did not correlate with karyotypic abnormality (trisomy 22, mosaic, monosomy X) seem to develop further prior to embryonic demise than those with certain others (trisomy 16, multiple trisomies and unusual other variants

Saline infusion sonography enhances endovaginal ultrasound examination of the uterine cavity. It is easily and rapidly performed at minimal cost. It is well tolerated by patients and virtually devoid of complications. It can prevent further invasive diagnostic procedures in some patients and optimize the preoperative triage process for those patients who will require therapeutic intervention